The Prince and the Princess
by Michi G
Summary: A/U. Bulma is a princess from the Capsule Kingdom, and Vegita is the prince of a self-titled kingdom. What do these two have in common? Something neither of them particularly like. And how is Gokuu involved?? Ch.13 is up! *insane laughter* Finally!
1. Chapter 1

--words with * around them are thoughts. *** indicates a break.  
  
The Prince and the Princess  
  
Michi G  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The Princess was flabbergasted at what her parents had just told her. First she had thought it was some kind of sick joke, but when she saw her parents' solemn faces, she knew they were serious. Her face turned red, her fists balled up at her sides, and her blood pressure went sky high. The idea was absurd and seemed a bit cruel.  
  
"I will not consent to that," Bulma said, surprisingly calm in her current state.  
  
"It is already done," King Briefs said. He sighed and shifted in his throne. "We are trying to do what's best for our kingdom."  
  
"Father, this is insanity!" Bulma shouted. Now she began to act more like she was feeling. "Our kingdom will glad defend itself against the Saiyajins!"  
  
Her father shook his head. "The Saiyajins are ruthless killers--they don't take prisoners," King Briefs said. He ran his fingers through his pale hair. "If we tried to fight them, we would lose so many of our people.  
  
Bulma glared down at the white marble floor. "We've encountered countless enemies before, and we've managed to vanquish them all!" she said. As her voice echoed in the empty hall, it sounded weak and futile. "Our kingdom would much rather fight than make a treaty with them! Why should we concede to them?"  
  
"I've already explained why--it's useless to fight them when we can give them something they want to spare lives," King Briefs responded. He looked to his wife in the throne next to him, with a look that suggested he wanted her help.  
  
"Bulma, if you're worried about what your subjects will think about you, then you have nothing to worry about," the Queen said, smiling like always. "They will realize what a great sacrifice you have done for them and will love you for it."  
  
"I'm not worried about that."  
  
"Then what are you worried about?"  
  
"I'm not worried--I'm horrified!" Bulma shot an angry look at her mother. "We are now allied with a cold-blooded nation of people who live to fight! These are the kind of people who welcome death by the sword.... Whereas we are the type of people who fight for justice and to defend.... How could two kingdoms like that come together??"  
  
"You'll find a way," King Briefs said with a dismissive tone. He held up his hand. "As I have already said it is done. Servants have already packed your things and the Saiyajin empire is sending a coach at noon to pick you up. Do not think I am doing this to be cruel; I have thought of your well-being, and we were considering your future for a long time."  
  
"I--" Bulma tried to say.  
  
"Bulma, you have rejected all the suitors that have came your way for two years," the Queen said. "We didn't want to intervene, but you've left us no choice now."  
  
Bulma began stomping out of the room. "I'll die before I go along with this!" she screamed. She stormed out of the room and slammed the huge doors behind her. The Princess ran through the empty halls, knocking over vases over and other objects sitting in the hall. Her intention was to go to her room, but she just threw herself in the nearest room. Bulma fell down on the red carpeted floor and began to beat it furiously.  
  
"Why is this happening to me??" she asked the floor. Her hair was flung over her face in a maniacal fashion and her face looked like a beet. "I have to leave my home, my family, and my friends to..." She couldn't even bring herself to say it yet. The Princess let out an aggravated sigh and dropped her head on the floor.  
  
***  
  
"I can't believe we're allied with the Saiyajins," Kuririn said, running his finger around the mouth of the metal mug in front of him. "They're terrifying, yes, but we still should have tried and stopped them."  
  
"I know," Gokuu said, rocking back in his chair. "I wanted to fight them; they're supposed to be undefeatable."  
  
"You're the only one who would say something like that," Yamcha said. "I feel like a traitor just sitting here not fighting."  
  
"The worst part is," Kuririn said, pausing to take a drink, "Bulma is--"  
  
"Don't say it," Yamcha interjected. He slammed his fist on the table. "We should do something!"  
  
"Now don't anyone of you do anything stupid," Chichi said, refilling their drinks. "Gokuu, don't lean back in the chair; you'll ruin the legs of it."  
  
Gokuu smiled sheepishly and set his chair back on the floor. "I think what we should do is go and see Bulma before she leaves," he said.  
  
"That's a good idea," Kuririn said, thoughtfully. He glanced at Yamcha. "Are you up for it?"  
  
"I guess..." his friend replied, his voice muffled by the table.  
  
"Oh, stop sulking," Chichi said, putting some dishes in the sink. "You and the Princess haven't been romantically interested in each other for over a year."  
  
"Well, I still care about her," Yamcha said, lifting up his head.  
  
"Come on, let's go," Gokuu said, standing up. He scratched his head. "Say, Chichi."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you mind if I take Gohan with me? I know Bulma would want to see him before she leaves."  
  
"Well...all right," Chichi said, a bit reluctantly. "Just be careful."  
  
"I'm always careful," Gokuu said, waving a hand. "Besides, we're just going to the castle. Gohan!"  
  
Chichi muttered something about him having said the same thing before. Soon a little boy, looking much like Gokuu came into the kitchen, holding onto the round hat on his head. He smiled at his father and jumped up into his open arms.  
  
"You want to come visit the Princess with us?" Gokuu asked.  
  
Gohan nodded and looked pleased at the offer. Gokuu grinned and adjusted the hat on his head. He looked to his friends and motioned for him to follow him.  
  
"I can't remember when she's leaving, but it's probably soon so let's get going," Gokuu said, walking over to his wife. "We'll be back soon."  
  
"I mean it, Gokuu," Chichi said, giving him a peck on the cheek and fixing the collar of Gohan's shirt, "don't get into anything."  
  
"Okay, Chichi," Gokuu said, smiling. He gave her a wave with one hand and left the room with his two friends.  
  
"Okay, Chichi..." Chichi echoed, shaking her head. "I don't know why he still manages to surprise me..."  
  
***  
  
The Great Saiyajin no Ouji was completely disinterested with what his father was babbling about to him. He had paid attention to the part about the woman that would be arriving, and a little indignant about that as well. He calmed when his father told him that the alliance the Saiyajins had made with the Capsule Kingdom was merely for the technology they could gain by not destroying and conquering it. The other part of the alliance was simply up to him. If the Prince didn't like what he say, he could simply dispose of her. The Saiyajins had made no guarantee that there would be a complete merger of the two kingdoms.  
  
"...at noon," the King concluded.  
  
"What?" Vegita asked. The man had been talking for at least an hour now.  
  
"The Capsule Princess," King Vegita said, frowning at his son. The boy had such a small attention span. "She will be arriving some time after noon."  
  
"Whatever..."  
  
"You realize you are betrothed to this woman?"  
  
"If I accept her, that is," Vegita said, tapping his fingers on his arm. "You might as well keep her right where she is. You actually want me to mix the mighty Saiyajin blood with some weak woman's blood?"  
  
"If you were to accept this woman, Prince," the King said, in a slow way as to keep his son's attention, "then it would make it easier to have access to the kingdom's resources. If you decided to reject her, then we would have to force their kingdom to give up what we want."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So," the King reiterated, glaring at him, "we would face too much resistance and most likely end up destroying the place for its insolence. If you accept her, it would benefit the Saiyajin empire greatly."  
  
"Hmph," Vegita said, raising his nose to the ceiling. "Are you quite finished yet?"  
  
"No, brat, I have one more thing to say," the King snapped.  
  
"What?"  
  
"If you do not accept this woman, then you will have to chose from the Saiyajin woman that I had selected for you previously."  
  
"Hmph," Vegita said, getting down from the chair he had been sitting in. "What a waste of time!" He hurriedly left the room before his father could add anything else.  
  
Vegita folded his arms across his chest and glared down the hall as he walked down it. *Why do I have to chose a mate already?* he thought. *I haven't yet reached my full potential... I'm at least two years from being King--Father acts as if he's in a hurry for me to descend the throne. Perhaps, he's sensing his demise.*  
  
The thought of his father's demise put a smile on his face. "Maybe I don't need to wait until I reach my full potential," the young prince commented to himself.  
  
***  
  
Bulma had regained more composure an hour before she were to leave. She had made it to her room and noticed how bare it looked without most of her things. Every ten minutes or so, she would look out the window and gaze down at the view of the garden below. She would remember how she and her friends would play games among the variously shaped shrubs and look at the bench in the middle of it where she had her first kiss. It wasn't the best kiss she had, but it was one of her fondest memories. Bulma truly doubted that she would have many fond memories once she went to the head of the Saiyajin empire, Vegita. Somehow she shouldn't have been surprised that the name of all the royal heads of Vegita were the same as the name of the kingdom.  
  
"Bulma, Queen of the Saiyajins..." Bulma murmured to herself. "That doesn't have even a slight ring to it. I'm not a Saiyajin. How can I be their Queen?"  
  
Bulma jumped when a knock came at her door. She frowned, hoping it wasn't time for her to leave already. The knock came again before she could answer it, and ceased when she said the person could enter. Bulma smiled when she saw who had entered her chamber.  
  
"Gokuu, Kuririn, Yamcha!" the Princess cried happily. She was met by a group of hugs. "I'm so glad you all came by."  
  
"We knew you had to leave, so we had to say good-bye," Gokuu said, holding Gohan's hand by his side. "Didn't we, Gohan?"  
  
Gohan made a little bow and smiled up at Bulma. "Good morning, Your Highness," he said.  
  
"I am going to miss seeing your cute little son, Gokuu," Bulma said, bending down and giving him a hug. "I bet he's going to be a great knight just like you."  
  
Gohan laughed as Bulma tickled him. "Probably not," Gokuu said. "Chichi doesn't want me to teach him to fight; she wants him to be a great scholar or philosopher."  
  
"That's really too bad," Kuririn said. "I bet Gohan would be as great as knight as you."  
  
"Really," Bulma agreed, rising again.  
  
"Bulma, isn't there anyway you can stay?" Yamcha said, walking up to her. He grasped her hands and looked longingly into her blue eyes.  
  
Bulma smiled at him kindly although they hadn't been seeing much of each of other recently. "As of noon today, my future will be in the hands of the Prince of the Saiyajins," she said, sighing. "If I'm lucky, he'll decide to kill me."  
  
"Don't say that," Yamcha said. There was an obvious look of concern in his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, Bulma," Gokuu said nonchalantly. "I'm sure everything will work out fine. I think even the Prince of the Saiyajins would be happy to have you as his wife."  
  
Bulma smiled at that compliment, but the other two knights were less optimistic. "Are you kidding, Gokuu?" Kuririn said. "Saiyajins aren't like normal people--all they care about is fighting, power, and money."  
  
"Thanks, Kuririn," Bulma said, pulling away from Yamcha and walking back over to her window. "That makes me feel much better."  
  
"Oh, sorry," Kuririn said, laughing nervously. "It's not what I meant..."  
  
"Hey, I have an idea," Gokuu said, smiling as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "Let's go out into the garden and play like we used to."  
  
"Aren't we too old to being doing something like that?" Kuririn said, folding his arms over his chest.  
  
"What?" Gokuu said. "I play with Gohan all the time."  
  
"I bet," Yamcha laughed, watching Gohan exploring the room as if he were on an expedition.  
  
"I think it's a great idea," Bulma said enthusiastically. "I bet Saiyajins never play games, so when am I ever going to get another chance to do something like this."  
  
"Yeah," Kuririn said, more like the Princess. "I just hope no one important sees us out there. We might lose our titles."  
  
"Ahem," Bulma said, putting her hands on her hips. "I am someone important."  
  
"Come on, let's not waste any time!" Gokuu said, motioning for Gohan. "Last one out to the garden has to play the bad guy!" He grabbed Gohan's hand and sped off.  
  
"Hey, no fair!" Kuririn said, chasing after Gokuu. A laughing Yamcha and Bulma followed behind him.  
  
***  
  
Nappa arrived promptly at the Capsule Kingdom during the appointed time. He wasn't pleased that he had been sent to pick up his prospect Queen; he would have much rather spent time preparing for the attack on the next profitable kingdom. The King had ordered him personally to take care of the job and deliver her to the Prince. It was something that the commander of the Elite army could not refuse. Even if that meant traveling to a kingdom of foolish weaklings.  
  
The burly Saiyajin stood at the gate of the large castle, waiting for the guards to open the gate for him. He had brought the largest carriage he could get at the time, having a vague knowledge of non-Saiyajin women having a great deal of useless items that they owned. This kingdom was highly unlike the Saiyajin kingdom, so he figured it was a good guess their Princess wouldn't be different from the other feeble type women.  
  
"Welcome to Capsule Kingdom," an attendant said to Nappa as he entered the castle.  
  
Nappa ignored him and followed the attendant who was to lead him to the King's throne room. A smirk came to his lips as he remembered what kind of leader the kingdom had. King Briefs was rumored to be somewhat of a scientist himself; he had even invented a few things, the Saiyajin recalled. While King Vegita wasn't a clueless fool, he wouldn't be catch dead inventing things in his spare time. Besides thinking about the head of the kingdom, there was the castle itself that amused Nappa. The halls were much smaller than the castle in Vegita and decorated gaudily. Constantly there were portraits of the King, Queen, and the Princess along with past royalty. Not only did all the people smile in their pictures, there were also pictures of the women as if they were actually important. It was like a joke to Nappa to see how they esteemed the lesser sex like that.  
  
"Presenting Nappa, Commander of the Saiyajin Elite army," an attendant said upon his arrival to the throne room.  
  
Nappa would have burst out laughing when he saw the frail looking King sitting on his throne next to his Queen who also had a throne. In Vegita, the Queen was rarely seen and when she was, she was never seen on the throne with the King as if she were his equal. Despite his Saiyajin blood, however, he was trained to act with dignity when he needed to.  
  
"King Vegita is most eager to join our two kingdoms in an alliance," Nappa said, making a short bow. "I trust your daughter is ready to depart?"  
  
"We can only hope," King Briefs said, making a motion to one of his attendants. "Please get the Princess."  
  
*Please?* Nappa mentally repeated, coughing to hide a laugh. *He even says "please" to his servants. A Saiyajin would only say that when saying "please die."*  
  
Nappa lost his amusement when he had to wait about fifteen minutes for the attendant to return. The King or Queen didn't seem surprised or impatient about their daughter's tardy arrival, and in fact were just relieved she came at all. When it was announced that the Princess had arrived, Nappa prepared to be disappointed. King Vegita had no idea, like the rest of the Saiyajins, what the Princess actually looked like. The Saiyajin leader had said it didn't really matter as long as she was willing to give the Prince an heir. Nappa had agreed with that, but he doubted the Prince would be pleased with a woman that wasn't Saiyajin.  
  
Bulma entered the throne room slowly, cheeks slightly flushed from running around in the garden and her lavender hair flung around her head in a wild fashion. Her eyes were vibrantly blue and were laced with an distinct defiance. She wore dark green dress that hugged the top of her body and loosened where her waist ended and was contained a few leaves at the end of it. Her arms were at her side, but seemingly so because she did not want to fold her arms and look completely defiant.  
  
"A pleasure to meet you," the Princess said, making a short bow.  
  
Nappa hid another laugh with a cough. *I wonder how the Great Saiyajin no Ouji is going to react to her,* he thought, returning the bow. *She certainly looks feisty, and she's not half bad to look at, but Prince Vegita isn't what you call indiscriminate.*  
  
"Are you ready to go, Princess Bulma?" Nappa asked, eager to leave the place.  
  
Bulma gave an annoyed look to her parents. "I guess so," she said reluctantly  
  
The King and the Queen grasped hands and smiled at their daughter. "Be cooperative, Bulma," King Briefs said.  
  
"We'll miss you, dear," the Queen said. "Don't forget to write us."  
  
"Goodbye, Father, Mother," Bulma replied. She frowned a little at their tone. It was as if she were going on some trip and would be back in a few weeks. Bulma hoped they realized she was going to meet her future husband who possibly could be the single most evil man in creation.  
  
"Let us go, Your Highness," Nappa said, getting bored with the high sentimentality. Bulma gave him a nod and tried her best to convey a regal look instead of an angry, childish brat like she truly felt like inside.  
  
*Author's Note: ...Ano... If there are any major mistakes or concerns you have, please let me know. I haven't gone through my first chapter with a fine-tooth comb... 


	2. Chapter 2

*Author's Notes: I have already written up to chapter nine, but I am only going to put the first two chapters up immediately. I want to wait until I see if there are any problems with this fanfic, so if there are let me know and if you like this story, let me know also! Enjoy! ^_^  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Bulma kept quiet during the trip to Vegita. Most of it was due to her dismay to leave her birthplace, but the rest of it was her "friendly" traveling companion. Nappa stared at her hard as if she were some kind of strange animal on show. It made her terribly uncomfortable and increasingly annoyed. Bulma didn't enjoy people looking at her as she weren't a princess. Then again, her friends often would call her by her name instead of her title, but that was since her friends reached knighthood. Gokuu had been the first to reach knighthood, Yamcha next, and finally Kuririn. However, even with their new titles, the three rarely required people to call them by their titles. Gokuu, as far as the Princess knew, had only been called "Sir Gokuu" by the King and Queen.  
  
Nappa continued to watch the Princess across from him in the carriage. He still couldn't believe that the Prince was going to mate with the woman before him. The commander was well aware of the King's plan to get rid of the Princess if she did not go over well with the Prince. Nappa didn't have high hopes for the Princess, especially her insolent manner which would not delight the Prince too much. In a way, he was a slightly happy with his assignment to retrieve the Princess and deliver her to the Prince. It would be more amusing to see how the Saiyajin no Ouji would react.  
  
Bulma closed her eyes, partially to rest and partially to ignore Nappa. She hoped that if she rested for a while, she would feel somewhat more at ease. In her mind, she imagined a terrible monster-looking person with arms as thick as trees and a face that even a mother couldn't love. She tried desperately to think of something tranquil and pleasing, but the image of what her future husband looked like haunted and terrified her. Obviously at some point she had fallen asleep because the next thing she knew someone was calling her name, and she had woken up with a jolt. Actually Bulma had woken up throwing punches and having sweat all over her face. Nappa was surprised because he had almost gotten a fist to his cheek just before Bulma had fully woken up.  
  
"What's going on?" Bulma asked, wiping her forehead and making a futile attempt to look dignified.  
  
"I believe you were dreaming, Your Highness," Nappa said, smirking at her. "We're nearly in Vegita now."  
  
"Great," Bulma said, taking in a breath. "I suppose it doesn't matter much what I look like to Saiyajins, though."  
  
"When you're not a Saiyajin it doesn't," Nappa admitted, laughing a little. "The Saiyajin people already have low expectations of you."  
  
Bulma frowned and for once met Nappa's gaze. "I may not be a Saiyajin like the rest of you, but I'm not trash," she said quite boldly, the commander had thought. She wasn't aware that he could snap her neck at any given moment. "My blood is just as blue as your Prince's blood is."  
  
Nappa chuckled, wondering if the Prince would find her gall amusing or infuriating. "I hope you will be smart enough to find out that women are not treated as highly in Vegita as they are in Capsule."  
  
"For now," Bulma said so dismissively that Nappa was actually starting to believe she would try and change that. Her attitude was not altered by the laughter that followed her statement. "You may not believe me, but even the mighty Saiyajins are not going to reduce me into a lowly piece of trash."  
  
*Things are certainly going to get interesting... *Nappa thought, liking the idea of the Princess and the Prince's meeting more and more.  
  
The carriage came to an abrupt stop, rocking the passengers some. The sound of the horses coming to a rest and the sound of the driver stepping down to the ground was heard. Soon the doors of the carriage were opened and Nappa and Bulma exited. Two Saiyajins already were taking down her luggage, each having about ten chests to carry. Bulma was a little amazed at their display of strength, but not astonished as she had seen such power in Gokuu many times. It only gripped her interest for a while because she was told to follow Nappa into the Saiyajin castle.  
  
The castle was about twice as big as the Capsule castle and ten times less inviting. It looked nice from the outside, white with majestic walls and towers, but inside it was like a nightmare. Soldiers--you could tell they were soldiers because they saluted more than they bowed--were just about everywhere in the castle. All the Saiyajins looked at Bulma with disgust or broke out in snickers. Some gave her a gruff nod to indicate they realized she was royalty, but Bulma could tell it was forced. The worst part of walking through the brooding halls was the terrible portraits of royalty. They were all of these scowling, evil, malicious characters with black eyes that looked like they could burn through flesh and tall black hair like a wild fire. Bulma had to keep telling herself that she was doing this for her kingdom. If these people were all strong like the strongest person she knew, did her kingdom really stand a chance against them? Most of her thoughts were of Gokuu  
whole-heartedly fighting the Saiyajins until his last breath and leaving Gohan fatherless and Chichi a widow. That was just one probable scenario of a family's ruined life. There could be thousands others. Maybe, just maybe, she could put others' lives before herself. She had had a nice life before it was given away to some Saiyajin prince. Bulma couldn't say that she lacked love or friends, so if she were to die, it wouldn't be too terrible.  
  
*I'm not a teenager anymore, but I'm not past my prime either,* she thought. *I'm still young and attractive... I should have accepted some of those suitors instead of leaving myself open to be thrown to the lions. Now I'll probably die at twenty-four.*  
  
Bulma nearly ran into Nappa as he stopped at a room and motioned to it. "You will wait here for the Prince," he said, opening the doors.  
  
The Princess took in another breath and went into the room as she was instructed. Nappa closed the doors behind her and Bulma looked around the room. It wasn't anything special; it had a fireplace on one wall, a small couch across from it, and a small table with chairs behind the couch. The room was fairly bare for its large space and lack of furniture and it contained only one window between the couch and the table. The curtains around it rustled in the air, indicating the window was open. Bulma went over to the window, thinking about her window in her room that showed a view of the lovely garden. The view Bulma saw when she looked out the window was a little less than disturbing. A large group of Saiyajins in five rows were marching back in forth in the courtyard below. They looked like they were in a trance; not a trance as if not knowing what they were doing, but a trance like preparing for some kind of fight. It unsettled her, but also intrigued her in a way. She  
wondered how long they would keep doing that, even if it was creepy. Perhaps whenever they stopped she would find out why they were doing what they were doing. Of course, Bulma always considered the fact that she wouldn't ever figure out why Saiyajins did what they did as long as she lived in Vegita.  
  
***  
  
"Might as well get this over with," Vegita said as he made his way to where he was to meet Bulma. Someone had attempted to tell him a little about his prospected mate, but he hadn't listened to a word of it except that she, like her father, were somewhat of an inventor. It was extremely odd, and he didn't particularly like that his father had betrothed him to not only just a weak woman, but some scientific egg-head. It made him sick, but eased his mind about having to find a reason to get rid of the woman. She would make it easy, and he would soon be able to concentrate on fighting again. The woman was merely a short hurdle he needed to jump over.  
  
Vegita was getting bad vibes from the way Nappa had acted when he told him the Princess of Capsule had arrived. He had grin on his face that irked the Prince and his roundabout remarks about the woman had left him wondering what exactly he was going to get. The soldiers were already talking about her, and she hadn't even been in the castle for a full day. Most were acting as if there were a great joke going on, and Vegita was right in the middle of it. If the woman was going to make his men think less of him, he either was going to have to get rid of the woman as fast as she could or simply show the soldiers just how powerful he could be. Either way, Vegita would be no joke.  
  
He passed a few soldiers who were sharing a laugh but stopped dead in the middle of it when Vegita approached, and they saluted him. This did not make the Prince smirk as he usually did when his men jumped at the sight of him in fear and reverence. Now it seemed that they were lacking the reverence and were merely doing their actions out of fear. Vegita was quite angry that someone he hadn't met yet had already caused this reaction among his subjects. He was truly being to wonder what the Capsule Kingdom had sent him. When he was two feet away from the doors of the room where his prospect mate was held he stopped.  
  
*What kind of woman is it?* the Prince wondered. *She must be a pale, little weakling, otherwise my men wouldn't be acting like they are. I can just imagine it... One of those women who faint at the sight of blood and spend their time drinking tea and watching the clouds floating by. Damn Otousama! What was he thinking?? If this woman displeases me, I am going to get rid of her and that damn kingdom of hers. I don't care what my father says about how we could profit from it.*  
  
Vegita placed a steady scowl on his face and walked up to the doors. He opened them slowly as not to seem eager or to startle the woman inside. As he entered and did not immediately see anyone, he almost thought he had gone to the wrong room. Vegita then caught sight of a figure behind the white curtains around the large window. He frowned not being able to see much through the curtains and wondering if he were right about the woman enjoying to watch the clouds float by.  
  
Bulma hadn't noticed there was someone stepping about a foot behind her. The soldiers were still at their foreboding march and keeping her interest. Every step they made was perfect and precise; they never took more steps than they had the last time and occupied the same space of the courtyard. None of them looked tired, their faces were fixed like stone, and they even blinked in sync with each other.  
  
"What in the world are they doing?" Bulma murmured aloud.  
  
Vegita frowned, wondering what the woman was looking at, but was unable to see over her. Now that he was closer to her he could see that she had oddly colored hair like he had never seen before. He also could see that she was taller than him which he did not approve of at all. Vegita decided he better get a look at her face and see what else he did not approve of.  
  
"So, what is so fascinating out there?" the Prince said to get her to notice his presence.  
  
Bulma jumped and whirled around, holding back a scream. Her shock wasn't lifted upon knowing it was just the Saiyajin Prince; the man in front of her looked just like those horrible scowling pictures she had seen in the hall. She backed up against the wall next to the window, not only uncomfortable, but almost unbelieving that one of those terrifying people existed.  
  
The Prince was a little shocked himself, but hid it well underneath his scowl. The woman wasn't as tan as Saiyajins were, but she wasn't deathly pale either. He had expected her to scream when she noticed him, especially since she seemed to be scared. However, she looked back at him with intense blue eyes that appeared to be trying to figure him out. Even more interesting was the fact that her bottom lip was rolled under and her hands were balled up as if she might even try to fight him if he came closer.  
  
*Well, she's not half bad to look at,* Vegita thought, his scowl slowly turning into a grin. *Still, I can't imagine what kind of offspring we would produce. Saiyajins all have dark hair and eyes--if the next crowned Prince looked like her, the house of Vegita may never be taken seriously again.*  
  
"So, you're the woman from Capsule, hmm?" Vegita said, folding his arms. "You don't look much like an inventor."  
  
Bulma knew he had said something to her, but she had no idea what it was because she had been concentrating more on the sight of him. "How long have you been in here?" she asked, wondering if he had been lurking in the shadows ever since she had entered the room.  
  
"Long enough," Vegita replied, taking the time to inspect the rest of her. His grin expanded. "Not too bad..."  
  
The Princess's face became red and she stood with a more noble posture. "Excuse me, but do not look at me as if I were some kind of piece of meat," she said with a frown.  
  
"Hmph," Vegita said, meeting her gaze again. "You'll be lucky if you're treated like that."  
  
"I am a princess," Bulma said, losing all the fear she had previously had. "I don't care what you Saiyajins may think, but I am royalty just like you are."  
  
Vegita smirked and walked up to the window, causing Bulma to step back so that she were at least two feet away. He looked out the window and saw the troop of men marching.  
  
"So, that's what caught your interest," the Prince said. "I'm surprised that a woman like yourself would enjoy watching soldiers marching."  
  
Bulma edged a little closer to the window. "What are they marching for?" she inquired.  
  
"It's a royal courtyard--they're standing guard."  
  
"For how long?" Bulma was close enough that she could see over his shoulder.  
  
"Until they are ordered to stop."  
  
"How long have they been like that?"  
  
Vegita shrugged, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "Most likely a few days."  
  
"A few days??" Bulma repeated incredulous. "No one can stand out there and march for a few days like that!"  
  
"You don't know Saiyajins then," Vegita said, raising a brow. "You sound shocked."  
  
"I don't care if they're Saiyajins or not; it's cruel to keep people like that for such a long period of time!"  
  
"Cruel?" Vegita laughed. "Hey, you down there!"  
  
The men below suddenly stopped and all stood at attention in Vegita's direction. "Hai, Vegita-Ouji!" they said in unison.  
  
"None of you are getting tired, are you?" the Prince asked casually.  
  
"Iie, Vegita-Ouji!"  
  
"Good, keep at it." The Prince waved his hand and the troop immediately began marching again at the exact spot they had stopped at.  
  
Bulma frowned, especially when the Prince faced her with a smug look. "You've brain-washed them," she said with disgust. "They actually think that they're not tired."  
  
"I would have thought an inventor would be more intelligent," Vegita said, walking to the middle of the room. "No matter; it would be dangerous for women to be that knowledgeable anyway."  
  
"I am quite intelligent, thank you," Bulma said, following him halfway. "And just why would it be dangerous for a woman to be that way?"  
  
"If a woman tried to assert herself as better than a man, especially royalty," Vegita said as if it were common knowledge, "she would be killed for her insolence."  
  
"Well, I think that is ridiculous," Bulma said angrily rather than fearfully. "No one would kill me for besting a man. I've done that in many ways and hopefully I will continue to do so."  
  
"Hmph, if you value your life," Vegita said lowly, "you won't in Vegita. Let me assure you, you can be killed as easily as a commoner."  
  
Bulma folded her arms over her chest, glaring at the Prince. "You might as kill me right now," she said in an even tone. "I expected Saiyajins to be so closed-minded that they wouldn't accept strong women unless they could fight. I've prepared myself to die for what I believe."  
  
Now the Prince was very amused. "You are truly stupid," he laughed. "A weak woman like you is willing to die so easily?"  
  
"I am not stupid or weak."  
  
"You're just as weak as the inhabitants of your little kingdom," Vegita returned, "who will be destroyed just like you if you wish it."  
  
"If I wish it?" Bulma said now feeling cautious about her words.  
  
"If you're killed, then the alliance is obviously off," Vegita said, slightly glad his father had reminded him about the alliance with her kingdom. It was useful for getting to the woman. "That would lead to your pathetic people trying to attack we Saiyajins. Finally it would result in the destruction of the entire Capsule Kingdom."  
  
"B-B-But I thought that you needed the technology of our kingdom--"  
  
"It is beneficiary, but I have the last say in it, and I don't value the Capsule Kingdom as much as my father does."  
  
"I won't let you hurt my kingdom!" Bulma said infuriated.  
  
"And just how would you stop me if you're dead?" Vegita asked, chuckling when she bit her lip and gave no reply. "I see you don't have a response to that, eh?"  
  
*Damn,* Bulma thought, *I never considered that my own kingdom would be used against me. I thought the alliance would last even if I were killed, but that's absolutely crazy. This guy is right about the Capsule Kingdom seeking revenge on the Vegita Kingdom--Gokuu and the others wouldn't stand for my murder! But the Saiyajins have the largest army in the world and would surely kill everyone! ...I told myself I would think of my kingdom first and myself second... How can I allow this pompous Prince to treat me for less than I am?*  
  
"I have no use for an insolent woman," Vegita said, grinning when he saw that each word upset her more. "As the future King of Vegita and the ruler of the Saiyajin empire I must have a mate that understands her role."  
  
*Mate?* Bulma silently repeated. *He makes it sounds as if we are animals or something.* "What might that role be?" Bulma asked, unfolding her arms and putting her hands on her waist.  
  
"To do what I command," Vegita said smoothly. "My mate must also produce a male heir when the time is right. That is all she must do."  
  
"So, your mate should just sit there waiting for you to tell her what to do," Bulma scoffed, "or wait for her time to carry the King's child. What, when the child is born?"  
  
"He'll be raised to be a suitable descendant to the throne."  
  
"I mean, what of the Queen once the child is born?"  
  
"Queen," Vegita laughed. "Often the Queen as you say is referred to as the `Mate of the King.' To answer your question, though, the King's mate is put away somewhere. For all I know she could be killed once she has produced an heir."  
  
"Wha-what?" Bulma stammered. She didn't know how much worse this place could get. "Why would she be put away or killed??"  
  
"Often so that no other children can be produced to contest the crowned Prince's descent to the throne."  
  
Bulma's mouth hung open, trying to keep calm. "What of your mother--was she killed?"  
  
Vegita shrugged. "I have no idea," he answered indifferently. "I've never seen her and my father never speaks of her, so I assume she's been disposed of."  
  
"This place is insane!" Bulma said, stumbling over to a wall so that she could lean against it. "In a way you're saying that I am going to be destroyed whether I am your wife or not!"  
  
"You can think of it like that," Vegita said, enjoying to see the woman so disturbed. *I can't believe I'm actually enjoying talking with someone,* he thought. *Maybe I will keep this woman around for a while... If I can do something about her insolent attitude, I might even go along with this stupid alliance.*  
  
"Is there anything else I should know about?" Bulma asked, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.  
  
"Yes, you aren't free to roam about the castle as you please," Vegita said. "We've set up a room for you where you will stay unless I instruct otherwise."  
  
"What??" Bulma was off the wall and glaring at Vegita again. "I'm just supposed to sit around until you decide what to do with me??"  
  
"Perhaps you do have some kind of intelligence," The Prince replied. "I suppose you may go out to the bathing hall."  
  
"What about eating?"  
  
"I'll have some servant bring you something."  
  
Bulma couldn't keep her anger under control anymore. "I am not going to be treated like some kind of prisoner!" she shouted. "I am a princess!"  
  
"You're also a loud-mouthed woman," Vegita said, rubbing his ears. "Now if you don't quiet down, I'm going to have to make you quiet down."  
  
"Go ahead and try," Bulma said. She had had it, and she hadn't even been there for an entire day. "If you're going to treat me like a prisoner, I'll scream my head off if I please!"  
  
"With pleasure," Vegita said, quickly walking over to her.  
  
Bulma barely had time to move before the Prince had grabbed her. Even though he seemed a bit short, he wasn't the least bit less strong. He held her high above his head as if she were a cloth doll. Bulma cried out and tried her best to get free. It was no use; the Prince was too strong.  
  
"Let me go--are you crazy??" Bulma screeched.  
  
"I'll shut you up for good," Vegita said, taking Bulma over to the open window. He held her outside of it, above the courtyard.  
  
"No!!" Bulma screamed, kicking her legs around as though she thought they would help. "Don't drop me!!"  
  
Vegita began to loosen his grip on her. "Why not?" he asked. He grinned as if this were all a joke. "You want to die, don't you?"  
  
"No!!" Bulma was becoming frantic. It was at least twenty feet down to the courtyard. Below the soldiers kept marching as if nothing were going on above them.  
  
"No? You said you would rather die than live by the Saiyajin way."  
  
"Don't drop me!!" Bulma pleaded, shutting her eyes. "Please, don't drop me!!"  
  
"If I don't drop you then you'll have to do what I tell you," Vegita said. *This is more fun than beating up on someone,* he thought.  
  
"I refuse to be treated like a prisoner..." Bulma said, despite the fact she was scared out of her mind.  
  
"Have it your way," Vegita said simply. He completely loosened his grip.  
  
"No!!" Bulma screamed, falling for about three seconds. Vegita grabbed one of her hands before she fell any more. Her breathing was so fast, she was afraid her heart was going to give at any moment.  
  
"Now if I let you go again, you'll be killed," Vegita said, laughing above her head. "It would be a waste to see a not bad-looking woman splattered all over my courtyard. Oh, well."  
  
"No!!" Bulma said, grasping his hand with her other hand for dear life. "I'll cooperate!!"  
  
"It's not worth it," Vegita said, playing with her. "I think I'll drop you anyway."  
  
"No, please!!" Bulma begged, tightening her grip on his hand. "I will stay in the room and be quiet! You won't even know I'm there! Just don't let me go!!"  
  
Vegita grinned evilly. "It would be so easy just to..." he said, shaking his hand a little, making Bulma swing and cry out like a frightened child. "Mou ii."  
  
Bulma eagerly clung onto Vegita as he pulled her back up. She was so scared she held onto him as if he had saved her life and hadn't endangered it. Vegita allowed it for the time being since he was having too much fun.  
  
"Pathetic," he said, watching the woman gasp for air. "I hope now you'll understand that I'm not playing games with you."  
  
"Games??" Bulma echoed, pulling away from him and gathering herself back together. "You held me out an open window about twenty-five feet in the air just for your amusement!!"  
  
"Just don't think I wouldn't drop you," Vegita said, smirking at her. "I was very tempted."  
  
"You're just as crazy and sick as I thought you would be!" Bulma said, gripping her arms as if to make sure they were still there.  
  
"If you're going to start screaming again, I can find an even worse way to shut you up," Vegita said, evil look returning to his face.  
  
"No, just..." Bulma said, getting heavily tired of dealing with the Prince, "show me where my room is."  
  
"Hmph," Vegita snorted, turning toward the door. "I guess you've had enough then."  
  
"More than enough," Bulma muttered, following him out of the room. For a few minutes she followed him through the castle in silence, but started up a conversation again. "How long do you plan to keep me here?"  
  
Vegita grinned ahead of him. "I guess that will just have to be a surprise, won't it?" he said obscurely.  
  
Bulma sighed and gave up trying to talk with him further. However, she did imagine the Prince's red cape flowing behind him as fire about to consume the little royal-pain-in the-butt. This cheered up the Princess just enough not to run off while the Prince's back was turned. 


	3. Chapter 3

*Author's Note: I decided that putting up an additional chapter would be good for those who really like the story, so I went ahead with this chapter. The guards at Bulma's room are characters I have created and the first one, Sukuwa, is named in this chapter. The other is named later for some reason (most likely because I didn't expect to name them at all). Anyway, comments, questions, praise--let me know! ^_^  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Vegita was not entirely too pleased that his father had sent for him just as he finished his afternoon training. He had really gotten into it today, feeling good about messing with the Princess of Capsule. The Prince had an idea why the soldiers around the castle were laughing about her arrival. She was odd-looking by Saiyajin standards, and he imagined the defiant look on her face was obvious to everyone. Vegita wasn't sure if he wanted to keep someone like her around, even if she could amuse him. All of his people were probably wondering the same thing he had: what would an heir from her look like. Most likely ridiculous and lacking the power and strength that all Vegitas possessed. However, it didn't seem like the Prince's father was concerned about that.  
  
"What did you think of the Princess of Capsule?" King Vegita asked, fingers folded together in his lap. There was a smirk on his face surrounded by the dark beard he kept on his face.  
  
Vegita scowled, as he always did at his father when he interfered in his life. "None of your business," he snapped.  
  
"What do you mean none of my business?" the King asked, narrowing his eyes. "If you wish to get rid of this woman, then I want to know."  
  
"I'm not sure yet," Vegita said with a shrug. "She is quite weak and insolent."  
  
"It is not as if you need to deal with the woman for the rest of your life," King Vegita said. "Once she gets you an heir, you can be done with her. By then we will have full control of Capsule as it will be a part of our empire."  
  
Vegita quirked an eyebrow. "Capsule has consented to that?" he asked, slightly interested.  
  
"The King of Capsule is old and wishes to have his kingdom well protected in his death," the King explained. "I assured him that as part of the Saiyajin empire, it would never come to harm."  
  
"Hmph, unless we sell it to someone who wants to buy the stupid kingdom," Vegita replied, pondering something.  
  
"Yes," his father agreed with a nod. "However, the King of Capsule doesn't need to worry about that."  
  
"If that's all you need to tell me, I'd like to go eat," Vegita said impatiently. He finished thinking about something quite quick.  
  
"The woman's looks..." the King went on as if his son hadn't said anything.  
  
"What about them?"  
  
"What do you think about them?"  
  
"She looks peculiar," Vegita said, scowling more at the type of questions he was asking now.  
  
"I suppose you wonder how your heir will look, hmm?"  
  
Vegita shrugged, although his response was affirmative.  
  
"The blood of Vegita is strong," the elder Saiyajin said proudly. "You are becoming the strongest Vegita yet and regardless of who you mate with, your offspring will be stronger still. Despite what he looks like, if his strength is tapped, no one will oppose him."  
  
"Hmph," Vegita said, turning his back on his father. "This talk is a waste of time. There is only a small chance I will keep this woman as my mate. So, if you don't mind, I would like to do something important like get some food in my stomach."  
  
The King laughed, causing the Prince to ball up his fists. He hated when people didn't take him seriously, and he knew his father hardly ever did. Someday Vegita promised to make him do so.  
  
"You must have some kind of interest in her," the King teased. "I know you are young, Ouji; you would have already stormed in here outraged that I had arranged such a woman to be your mate."  
  
Vegita decided to ignore him and take his last comment as his final one. He shoved open the throne room doors and glared ahead of him. Soldiers standing guard at the doors saluted him, but stepped back cautiously when they saw his terrible glower. The Prince paid nothing any attention. His father always got under his skin, especially as of late. However, the Prince planned to get him some day.  
  
"Kusotare me..." Vegita muttered to himself. Hopefully the Prince would be calmer by the time he had eaten something.  
  
***  
  
Bulma was thoroughly surprised at the amount of food she had been brought when she had asked for something to eat. Obviously Saiyajins never knew the concept of being on a diet or eating salads. She had eaten whatever she could that wasn't half-cooked, some sort of animal she couldn't distinguish, or some sort of other food she didn't recognize. This meant she didn't eat the majority of the food which had aroused some kind of contempt among the Saiyajins, especially the two guarding her door. They couldn't believe she could survive off such a small amount of food. Bulma was a little annoyed by their astonishment, but she quickly got over it. She was beginning to think that no matter what she did, she was going to end up losing in the end. The Princess had tried once to leave her room when she realized that the two guards had left momentarily, but she found that each end of the hall there were two guards stationed. It discouraged her some, but she hadn't given up yet. She was  
a genius after all.  
  
"Now how can I get out of here?" Bulma wondered, sitting Indian-style on her bed. It was large and quite comfortable, but the Princess didn't like being held anywhere against her will.  
  
She looked up at the high ceiling with the light fixture hanging down from the middle of it. Then she looked at the wall ahead of her with her chests of unpacked items stacked up nearly to the ceiling. At first she wondered how they could have stacked them so high, but that soon lost her interest. To the left of her luggage was a dresser with a mirror. It was actually Bulma's; the Saiyajins didn't provide one in her room. On the other side of the chests was a large closet, large enough to hide about two full-grown Saiyajins. It would most likely fit everything Bulma had brought, but she didn't think she had a great need to put away any of her things. The short one could tell her any day now that he did not want her and therefore was calling for her immediate disposal.  
  
"I shouldn't have to die..." Bulma said, falling back on the bed and looking up at the ceiling again. "I deserve to find love and be happy!" She sighed and almost wished that she had tried harder to make things work with Yamcha. He might have upset her several times, but he did care about her, and he would never try to kill her.  
  
Bulma thought about sleeping, but she couldn't sleep with such things on her mind. There was a possibility she'd never see her friends again. She had known that when she left her castle, but it never sunk it until that moment. If she didn't cooperate with the Saiyajins, she might cause the destruction of her homeland. Still, Bulma wasn't the one to sit around and let someone else decide her fate.  
  
"I have to get out of here, if only for a moment," she said to herself. She frowned and thought as hard as she could. Soon she kept going over what she had in her room to use.  
  
*Bed... window... dresser... luggage... closet... desk... lamp... Bed... window... dresser... luggage... closet... desk... lamp... Bed.. .window... dresser... luggage... closet... desk... lamp... Bed... window... dresser... luggage... closet... desk... lamp... Bed.... window... dresser... luggage... closet... Closet? Window? Lamp? Ah, ha!*  
  
Bulma sat up and snapped her fingers. Her idea was dependent on whether the Saiyajins were slightly stupid. They were clever enough to plan attacks on the most advanced kingdoms and survive. It was a long shot, but she decided it was better than nothing.  
  
Bulma went over to the desk next to her bed and unplugged the lamp. She carried it with her to the window. Unfortunately, it wasn't a window that could open, which had annoyed her when she had first arrived. She held the lamp up and tried to determine how large of a hole she could make into the glass. Bulma smirked and set the lamp aside for a moment. She went over to the closet and opened its doors so it would be ready for her. Finally she went over to her door and locked it. She realized the guards had a key to her room, but it would take them at least a few seconds to unlock it.  
  
"Well, let's give this a go," Bulma said, shrugging her shoulders. She walked back over to the window and picked up the lamp. "Hope it works!"  
  
Bulma swung back her arm and threw the lamp at the window. It broke easily and created a large hole in it. She quickly broke a little of the glass around the hole so it would seem as if she could fit through it. Already she could hear the guards trying to unlock her door, so she ran over to the closet and hid. She made sure that she didn't close the doors the whole way so that she could see the Saiyajins as they came in, and so she wouldn't suffocate.  
  
It wasn't long before her door opened with a great bang and she saw the two Saiyajin guards pass by her closet. "Ah! The woman must have went out the window!" one of the guards said.  
  
The other guard must have looked down, Bulma figured. "It looks like she threw the lamp out of here," he said. "There's a ledge here she could have climbed out on."  
  
"Are you sure that weak woman would do that?"  
  
"She's not here, is she?"  
  
There a long pause after that, making Bulma wonder if they were going to search the room. She heard footsteps coming toward the closet. Bulma panicked and ran over to a small compartment in the back of the closet. She heard the doors being flung open and another pause. The Princess held her breath and prayed that they wouldn't find her.  
  
"She's not in here!" the first guard said finally. Obviously he didn't think that Bulma could fit into the little compartment. It was a tight fit and increasingly giving her less and less air to breathe.  
  
"Come on, we've got to find her before Vegita-Ouji finds out she's gone!" the second one said, making loud steps as he ran out of the room. Hurried steps followed his.  
  
Bulma let out a breath and crawled out of the compartment. She went up to the closet doors and peaked out of them slowly. She heard sounds of men running past her door and shouts of where they were going to search. The sound began to fade from the door to her room, so she carefully got out of the closet. The door was left open, so the Princess dashed to the other side of it just in case someone happened to pass by. She waited by the door, wondering if anyone would come back into the room. After a minute of no sign of anyone returning, Bulma cautiously peeked her head from the side of the door and looked down the hall. She didn't see anyone presently.  
  
"Hmm..." Bulma said, standing in the doorway and looking both ways in the hall. She still didn't catch a sign of anyone. "No time like the present!"  
  
Bulma ran down the hall to her right, checking behind her every few seconds. She came to an intersection of another hall and nearly ran into a guard. Quickly she ducked behind a desk in the hall and waited for him to pass. Bulma took a look both ways and took a left in the next hall. The Princess smiled to herself and wondered where she was actually going to go. She wasn't sure yet, but she was sure that she wasn't going to stop now.  
  
***  
  
"What??" Kuririn said, nearly falling out of his chair. His fellow knights at the table shared his surprise. "Your Majesty, how can you agree to such a thing??"  
  
"I believe this will benefit Capsule more so than losing about a thousand of our men in battle," King Briefs said at the head of the long table. "The Saiyajins are very powerful people."  
  
"We can't just let them push us around!" Yamcha said angrily. "You can't trust them for a second!"  
  
For once Gokuu wasn't sleeping at one of the royal meetings. "We can trust them as long as Bulma...I mean, the Princess is with them," he said unnerved. "She would never let anything happen to Capsule."  
  
"I think you're being awfully naive, Sir Son," a knight near the end of the table said. "The Saiyajins could keep the Princess alive just long enough to get their hands on our kingdom. Then when we are convinced that they have agreed to all terms of the alliance, they'll get rid of the Princess and slowly take over Capsule!"  
  
"I agree," Kuririn said, folding his arms over his chest. "They can't be trusted."  
  
"Sire, can't we send someone to Vegita to keep an eye on the Princess and see what's going on?" Gokuu asked.  
  
"We haven't established anything like that yet," the King said, shaking his head. "The Saiyajins don't like other type of people in their home kingdom without good reason for being there."  
  
"What other reason would be better than looking after Bul--I mean, the Princess?" Yamcha said. He clenched his fists. "I knew it was a bad idea to let her go there! They'll use her to get Capsule and get rid of her once they do!"  
  
"Well, I am going to speak with King Vegita tomorrow to see how things are going," King Briefs said. "I will speak to him about having someone watch over Bulma. Now realize that if we send someone to Vegita, they may send someone here."  
  
"For what?" another knight asked indignantly. "Once we let one Saiyajin stay here, more will start coming!"  
  
"Let's not get hasty," the King said rising. His knights raised in accordance. "For now, we need to keep this alliance with the Saiyajins, even if it may seem like a farce." The King departed and his knights waited until he had left to talk among themselves.  
  
"I hope that we can do something before Bulma gets into trouble," Kuririn said, looking to Gokuu and Yamcha. Yamcha nodded and for once Gokuu had a grave appearance.  
  
"Daijoubu yo," Gokuu said, his brows coming together like they always did when he was talking seriously. "Nothing's going to happen to Bulma. I'll make sure of it."  
  
***  
  
"What??" Vegita shouted. No sooner had he finished his meal did he find out about the Princess. "What do you mean she's gone??"  
  
"I-I-I don't know, Vegita-Ouji..." a soldier in the hall stammered. "Sukuwa was the one who ordered every one on this floor to search..."  
  
"Grr!" Vegita said, waving his hand to get the soldier out of his face. He left without hesitation. "How the hell could a weak woman like that manage to slip by like that??"  
  
The Prince went down the hall, wondering where he would find the woman, especially since he knew nothing about her. It would be the icing on the cake if his father found out about it. He would never be able to live it down. Several soldiers passed him, looking embarrassed and frantic. That made him even angrier; how could the woman causing him so much trouble all ready? When he found out where the woman was he was to wring her little neck.  
  
Vegita was about to turn into another hall to his right when he suddenly he sensed something. *What the hell...?* he thought. *Has that woman been this way? I feel as though she has...but why?*  
  
The Prince finally realized that there was a smell of something in the air. *Perfume? It must be that woman's... I guess I didn't notice it before. Hmm, it seems there is a way to find her after all.*  
  
The smell of the fragrance lead Vegita to turn to the left instead and make much more deliberate steps. It seemed that the woman had done a great deal of traveling. He was thoroughly surprised that he was led to one of the staircases to the next floor. There were usually two guards standing by it, but obviously they had gone in search of the woman. Vegita frowned, wondering why they would leave their post and allow the woman to have access to the next floor. No sooner did he wonder did the two assigned guards return. They saluted to Vegita, but he scowled at them.  
  
"Why have you two left this post?" the Prince demanded.  
  
"We heard something," one of the guards said, standing rigidly at attention.  
  
"Heard something?" Vegita raised a brow.  
  
"It sounded like a woman," the other guard said in the same position as the other.  
  
Vegita's scowl deepened. "Don't move from this post again unless instructed otherwise," he said, walking up the stairs.  
  
"H-Hai, Vegita-Ouji!"  
  
The Prince went up the stairs slowly, knowing that he was still in the two guards' view though they had their backs to each other. Once he was sure that no one was watching him, he began to quicken his pace. The scent of her perfume had dissipated, so Vegita began to check all the rooms on the left side. None of them were terribly huge rooms, so he didn't have much area to inspect. He looked in every conceivable place he could think the woman would hide. As he searched the last room to the left of the stairs' beginning , he began to get even more angry. He cursed the woman, and he cursed the guards that allowed her to slip by. Either he had underestimated her intelligence, or he had put too much faith into the soldiers around the castle. The latter was easier to accept than the other.  
  
Vegita then began on the other side of rooms, doing the same kind of inspection like before. This time, however, the Prince was less careful. He threw around items in the room, almost ruining most of them. He was nearly done looking through all the rooms when he came to a particular room with the suspicious scent of the Princess returning. It calmed him a bit because he believed he had finally found her. As he checked the room, he couldn't find anything. He was beginning to think he missed the girl when he eyed the open window. Vegita knew Bulma had to be the one who opened it.  
  
"...the hell's going on...?" Vegita said, looking around the open window. Attached the outside ledge was a rope of some kind made out of a sheet. "Now I'm really getting mad." He easily jumped out of the window and landed on the courtyard below. "Wait until I find her..."  
  
***  
  
Bulma was thoroughly surprised for two reasons. The first reason was the fact that she had managed to get by all the Saiyajins as far as she had. In actuality, although she considered herself quite clever, she never dreamed she would get this far without getting caught. Bulma had figured she'd get caught quickly and be thrown back into her room before Vegita would learn about it. At the rate she was going, she would probably have the little Prince throwing a temper tantrum. The second reason she was surprised was the fact that among the gloomy castle of Vegita, she found something absolutely gorgeous. While dashing through the courtyard she had stumbled onto a pair of large iron gates. First, she had thought they led to a dungeon or something, but upon a closer examination, she discovered they were the entrance to an exquisite garden. Luckily the doors went locked and Bulma was able to explore the grounds. It contained flowers and greenery she had never seen before, and it  
all took her breath away. Even the garden in Capsule weren't so large and lovely. Some of the shrubs were even shaped like arches, others like domes; one of the shrubs was even shaped like a bench. The Princess thought it were just for display and it couldn't really support a person, but as she decided to give it a try, she found that it could support her and was extremely comfortable. She sat there amazed that such a place existed in Vegita. For a moment she wondered if it were some kind of illusion and feared someone were going to jump out of the bushes and attack her. However, as she sat there in tranquil bliss for several minutes, her fear disappeared. In fact, she forgot about all the other horrible things that troubled her currently about Vegita. She was content to sit back, smell the sweet aroma of the flowers around her, and enjoy the sights.  
  
The Prince was finally drawing nearer to the location of the Princess, finding her trail easy to follow outside. He was surprised that the guards stationed around the courtyard didn't get her, but her smell traveled all throughout the courtyard. Vegita hated to admit, but he was starting to like the smell. He didn't know why, but it reminded him of something pleasant, but he couldn't think of what. That made him a little confused and irritated, neither of which he liked to be. Vegita ignored those feelings and concentrated on finding the woman that came into his life for about four hours and had already caused so much trouble. Currently, he wondered if he could afford to keep her around for any more time.  
  
Vegita stopped when he reached the gates of the Royal Garden. He had never wanted to go into such a place. In fact, the Prince wasn't really sure why it was on the grounds of the castle in the first place. It was a waste of space and had no use to him. That made it a perfect place to find the Princess of Capsule. A stupid woman like her surely would enjoy a place like that. He walked into the garden, frowning at the lavish arrangement of flowers and all the detail that had been put into such a frivolous place. He was surprised with the various smells of the plants around him that he could still strongly smell the Princess. She was somewhere in the middle of the garden, most likely not moving very much. He decided to waste no time and make his stay in the place as little as possible. The Prince's swift movements through the garden got him to the middle of the garden in two minutes. Vegita scanned the area, that had arch-shaped shrubs arranged in fashion much like he had seen  
in churches other kingdoms so often had. There were five of them in all and through the third one, he found the Princess sitting on shrub shaped liked a bench.  
  
Vegita hesitated approaching her at first, temporarily stunned by the sight of her. The sunlight seemed to only touch the Princess's smiling face. Her blue eyes were glittering in the light and her indigo hair seemed to glow. Vegita had never thought anyone or anything as beautiful, but now he could truthfully say that he had witnessed beauty. Instead of bashing her head in like he had previously felt, he felt compelled to do things he hadn't ever before. For a brief second he felt afraid of these foreign and even took a step back. Soon he forced the feeling away and stealthy approached Bulma, ignoring the way she looked. He concentrated on what a fool she was making out of him, not her appearance.  
  
Bulma inhaled the wonderful smell of the flowers she had picked up from the ground and nearly pressed them into her face. By now she had lost herself in her own little world, relieved of all of her problems. She didn't even consider herself a princess any more. Bulma was a normal girl, able to be selfish and indulgent without having to worry how it would affect her people. Bulma was free to make her own decisions, free to pursue her own dreams, free to find love...  
  
A twig snapped, suddenly knocking Bulma out of fantasy. "What the" she managed to say before being startled by the sight of the Saiyajin no Ouji. She stood up defensively and wondered if she should try to run.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Vegita said in a calmer voice than he looked. His face was twisted into ferocious sneer like some kind of wild animal.  
  
"I...I needed some fresh air," Bulma said, wondering if it were such a wise thing to do now. "My window doesn't...open..."  
  
Vegita closed his eyes and released a chuckle. "I can't believe I let a woman like you live," he said, clenching his fists. He took another step toward her. "Well, I'm not going to be the laughingstock of the Vegita lineage; I'm going to do what I should have done when I first met you."  
  
"N-N-Now wait a minute!" Bulma cried as Vegita came closer and closer to her. She stepped back a step each time he made one forward. "It's not like I committed a crime!"  
  
"I can kill anyone in Vegita with as little of a reason as they looked at me funny." He continued making steps toward her.  
  
"Well, if you're going to kill me," Bulma said, looking behind her and seeing that she were about to back right into a wall of shrubs, "at least tell me why you have such a beautiful garden in such a dismal place."  
  
Vegita paused for a moment. "I have no idea," he said, rolling his eyes over their surroundings. "Maybe some of the other Vegitas were softer than the present-day ones."  
  
"So, you don't really care for this piece of land?" Bulma asked, relieved he had stopped moving.  
  
"Not particularly," Vegita said shrugging.  
  
"Well...if you don't kill me...could I have this garden?" Bulma knew her request was mostly likely going to be denied, but she decided it was worth a shot. If she was going to be killed, she had nothing to lose. If she lived, at least she could draw some enjoyment from owning such a beautiful place.  
  
Vegita was truly amused now. "Even if I don't kill you," he laughed, "why would I give you anything? There's little you could give me."  
  
"Well, I would be less likely to cause you trouble," Bulma said, buying her time. The longer she kept him talking, the longer she would have to live.  
  
"I could achieve the same result by killing you."  
  
"Giving me this worthless area would be a great deal less of work and time."  
  
"Oh, noI can kill you quite quickly and easily...and love every minute of it."  
  
Bulma swallowed, seeing the malicious look on the Prince's face. "Well, at least allow me to have a last request, or is that another unheard of thing among Saiyajins?" she said, feigning bravery. The Prince was once again amused by this.  
  
"A last request?" he repeated. A grin spread across his face. "Let's hear it."  
  
"Kill me while I'm sleeping," Bulma said, taking in a deep breath. "I know you can do it quickly, so if you do it while I'm sleeping, I won't feel much."  
  
"Hmph, maybe I should make you suffer with a slow and painful death," Vegita said. "At any rate, how do I know you'll sleep tonight? If you stay awake all night then I'll never have a chance to kill you."  
  
"Believe me," Bulma said, "after this day, I'll be surprised if I'll ever wake up again...or would want to."  
  
Vegita laughed, thinking it were a crazy idea, but actually intrigued by her silly whims. "Fine, woman," he agreed. "If you don't sleep tonight, it will be your own misfortune. It will be my pleasure, though, to kill you whether you're awake or not."  
  
Bulma nodded and wiped her forehead. "I'm sure that will make me sleep all the better tonight..." she murmured.  
  
"What a strange woman..." Vegita said quietly to himself. 


	4. Chapter 4

*Author's Notes: This is actually one of my favorite chapters, even if it gets a little lemony here. I'm not planning to turn this fanfic into a lemon, but this chapter is as close to one as I'm gonna get. Anyway this is the "bath scene" that seems to pop up whenever I do Bulma and Vegita fanfics (I have no clue why). Oh, well--at least Bulma's still alive, right? ^_^  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Bulma knew she should have expected the soldiers around the castle to give her begrudging looks once she returned to her room, but she still didn't like it any better. None of them were willing to admit she had outsmarted them, but they were more careful about her security especially when Vegita had said if another incident like that occurred, he would kill the guards responsible for the slip up. Of course, the Prince's men took that as no joke and viewed their job more seriously; they truly treated her like a hated prisoner instead of a princess like she deserved to be treated like. Bulma had first decided to just go straight to sleep and end the whole thing, but she decided that if she were going to die tonight she was at least going to make herself look good. She had a difficult time convincing the guards to let her use the bathing hall like Vegita had said she could. They had no idea about what the Prince and she had been talking about in the garden, so they were highly  
suspicious of her. One of the guards finally agreed to take her to the bathing hall and told her bluntly that he was going to stand guard at the door. Bulma merely rolled her eyes at him and was glad that she was the only person in the bathing hall. It was more like a huge pool, and she assumed it was used for a great quantity of people. Bulma also guessed it could be a private bath for someone who thought they were so important they deserved a huge bath just for themselves. Considering who lived in the castle, Bulma couldn't dismiss that as impossible.  
  
Bulma took off her clothes and laid them neatly on one of the white tables. She set her bath robe next to it and hung her towel on a rack near the edge of the bathing pool. She dipped her toe into the water to test its warmth and found that it was warmer than she thought it would be. Bulma didn't see any signs of anyone having been there for probably hours, and she didn't see anything that looked like it was keeping the bath warm. The Princess decided to ignore these strange things and step down into the water. It felt good around her tired body. She hadn't even realized her back hurt until she felt the pressure being lifted off it. Bulma guessed all the tension she was under was causing her back, shoulders, and neck to hurt. She had already noticed her splitting headache.  
  
"Maybe I should just drown myself..." Bulma said, leaning against one of the wall of the pool. She closed her eyes and wondered if she would actually try that. *Nah,* she thought, *I don't want to be naked when I die.*  
  
***  
  
It was around ten o'clock when Vegita had decided to check up on the Princess again. He had been busy for the last couple of hours and wasn't sure if even assuring to kill the woman would keep her out of trouble. He was fortunate not to have his father learn about the short disappearance of the Princess. Even the soldiers that knew about it weren't talking about it. He figured it must have been because they were embarrassed about letting her get away like that. Vegita was somewhat relieved that nothing seemed amiss as he went to her room. However, he had the feeling something was wrong when there was only one guard at the Princess's door.  
  
"Where is Sukuwa?" Vegita demanded.  
  
"He took the Princess to the bathing hall," the remaining guard answered. "He said he was going to stand guard at the door until she was finished."  
  
Vegita raised a brow and put a hand to his chin. *What is with that woman?* he wondered. *Either she's trying to bide her time or either she's just insane... Well, I still need to check up on her, anyhow.*  
  
The Prince made his way to the bathing hall where indeed Sukuwa was standing guard at the doors. He saluted when Vegita approached him and rambled nervously about making sure the Princess didn't try anything again. Vegita waved his hand to silence him and to indicate he wasn't worried about that.  
  
"Yes, yes, very good," Vegita said impatiently. "You don't need to worry about the Princess--I am personally going to make sure she returns to her room. I want you to return to your post at her door."  
  
"Um, yes, sir..." Sukuwa said, sounding confused, but leaving before Vegita's patience drew any thinner.  
  
Once he was sure the guard was gone, Vegita quietly opened the door and slipped into the bathing hall. He smirked, seeing half of Bulma sitting near the back of the pool. To make sure that no one else tried to use the bath, he locked the door. Bulma hadn't noticed, too relaxed to notice even if the walls were collapsing. The Prince edged closer and closer to the edge of the pool where Bulma was leaning against. As he grew nearer, he got a better view of what half of Bulma's body was exposed. The strange feeling he had had in the garden was returning; however, this time he didn't try to force it away. Vegita never knew that creamy colored skin could look so appealing. Her neck, her shoulders, and her chest all were breath-taking. He was a bit disappointed that he couldn't see much of her chest--only about as much cleavage was showing as when she was wearing her dress. Vegita wondered if he could see more of what was hidden underwater by making her aware of his presence. He  
hoped so.  
  
"What a strange way to spend one's last day on earth," the Prince said, loving the way the woman snapped her eyes open and covered her chest.  
  
"What the hell are you doing in here??" Bulma screeched, pressing herself against the other wall farthest from Vegita. "Get out!!"  
  
"For once I don't mind your screaming," Vegita said, grinning.  
  
"If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to take a bath!" Bulma said, bending her legs so more of her was hidden underwater.  
  
"I tell you I'm going to kill you and you take a bath?"  
  
"I never would have taken one if I knew someone was going to spy on me!"  
  
"What does it matter? You're going to die anyway." Vegita folded his arms over his chest and tried not to laugh at her timid actions.  
  
"I don't care if I'm going to die in a minute!" Bulma said, hating the way he was staring at her. "I don't want you ogling me like a vulture! I have self-respect!"  
  
"Or is it that you just have a hideous body and you're trying to hide it?"  
  
Bulma was so angry at the insult she stood straight and raised her fists in the air. "My body happens to be the most beautiful body that you would ever see, Prince!" she said indignantly. She glared at him only for a second before she noticed the grin expanding on his face. The Princess became aware of herself and sunk down into the water so that it was up to her head. "You are scum!"  
  
"Hmph," the Prince said, chuckling at her strange behavior. "Maybe you weren't just shooting off your mouth."  
  
"Just leave already, will you??" Bulma pleaded, dunking her head underwater. She stayed underwater until she couldn't hold her breath any more. When she finally came back up for air, Vegita was gone. "He left? Good..."  
  
Bulma moved herself through the water until she was in the middle of the pool. She did a short circle to make sure that Vegita wasn't hiding anywhere in the room. Finding no trace of the Prince, Bulma relaxed again. She cupped some water into her hands and poured it over her shoulder. She pushed her wet hair out of her face and wringed it out. Bulma was almost completely relaxed as she had been before until she felt her arms being pulled behind her. She let out a scream as she was pushed back against something warm and hard, but she couldn't quite discern what it was.  
  
"What the hell's going??" Bulma shouted, trying to escape from the metal grip that had her pulled back in an uncomfortable position.  
  
"I don't even need to try very hard to sneak up on you, do I?"  
  
"Ve-Vegita??" Bulma couldn't believe he could move around undetected like that and that he was so strong.  
  
"I did not give you permission to address me so informally," Vegita said, pulling her arms back a little more. He grinned when she cried out in pain.  
  
"Why should I...care..." Bulma said, feeling her arms coming out of their sockets. "You're going to kill me anyway, right??"  
  
Vegita tugged on her arms a little more. "You will address me as Vegita-Ouji, Your Highness, Your Majesty, or my Prince," he reiterated. He ignored her whimpering. "Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"You're hurting me!!" Bulma said, tears forming on the side of her eyes.  
  
"Do I make myself clear?" Vegita repeated, wondering how much more he could pull back her arms before he really hurt her.  
  
"Yes!!" Bulma said, breathing becoming irregular. She couldn't stand any more of the pain she was experiencing. "Your Majesty, Your Highness--whatever!!"  
  
"Insolent little woman," Vegita said, letting of her arms. He chuckled at her hard breathing and how much fuss she was making over how much her arms hurt.  
  
"Are you out of your mind?!?" Bulma said, rubbing her arms. "These are going to be hurting for days!!"  
  
"Don't worry, you won't live another day," Vegita said, grinning at the sight of her back. He had a somewhat good view of her breasts from the side.  
  
Bulma ground her teeth and turned around to face Vegita. "You sadistic bastard!!" she said, forgetting once again that she was indecent. She brought her hand back and swung it at Vegita's face.  
  
Vegita easily caught her hand before it reached his face and tightened his grip on her hand. "Did you really think you could slap me?" he laughed. As Bulma pulled back, he squeezed her hand tighter. "I don't mind breaking your hand."  
  
"There can't possibly be a worse person than you!!" Bulma said, putting all of her weight into bringing her hand out of his grip.  
  
Vegita wasn't really listening to her; he was more interested in the show Bulma was putting on before him. As she twisted and turned and pulled, he allowed Vegita to get a nice look at her moving chest. Bulma didn't even realized he was leering at her again until she was about to try talking to Vegita to get him to let go of her hand.  
  
"Stop that!" Bulma protested, lowering herself in the water again. She was so embarrassed and red in the face that she didn't notice when Vegita had let go of her hand.  
  
"You're too easy," Vegita laughed as Bulma gradually drifted back against the furthest wall. He smirked and followed her closely.  
  
"Stay back!" Bulma said, breathing hard. "Keep away from me!"  
  
Bulma cried out when she had backed against one of the walls of the pool. Vegita stood about a foot in front of her, grinning like a vicious beast about to pounce on a weaker animal. "Doushita no, Hime? Do I make you...uncomfortable?"  
  
He broke out in laughter as Bulma glared at him and covered herself again with her arms. "If you touch me, I swear I'll knock the stuffing out of you!"  
  
"The idea of you hurting me is absurd," Vegita laughed. Bulma was surprised that he could raise himself higher than just below his neck.  
  
"How are you doing that?" Bulma asked.  
  
"Take a swing at this," Vegita challenged, exposing his chest to her.  
  
It wasn't that Bulma didn't feel like taking a swing at Vegita, to the contrary; she would love nothing more than to inflict some kind of pain upon him like he had done on her. The reason she hadn't all ready hit him was the fact she hadn't even seen someone as built as he was. She wondered why she hadn't noticed until now, but she supposed his clothes had hid most of his muscles. The Princess wasn't a dummy; she had a good idea that if she hit him with all of her might, she'd most likely break her hand. She didn't care if she was going to be killed tonight--she didn't want a broken hand during her last few hours.  
  
"Thanks, but no thanks," Bulma said, turning her head so she wouldn't gape at him any more. She wished her face would return to its regular color.  
  
She turned redder as Vegita laughed at her. Bulma didn't look back at him until he had stopped mocking her. As soon as she glanced at him, he sunk under the water. Bulma blinked for a few seconds then cried out, realizing that he could be looking at her under the water. She covered her breasts as best as she could and crossed her legs. It scared her almost as much as being held above that courtyard to not know where Vegita was and what he was doing while she was in her current state. About two minutes later Vegita came back to the surface, barely taking in any air.  
  
"How the hell did you stay down there for so long?" Bulma said, keeping her position even though the Prince had resurfaced.  
  
Vegita shook some of the water out of his unruly hair. "Now I'm actually wishing you were a little bit taller," he said, acting as if he hadn't heard her question. "The water hides too much."  
  
"Wh-Wh-Why you...!" Bulma stuttered. Now she felt even more self-conscious than before.  
  
The Prince turned his back on her and swarm towards the middle of the pool. "I'm really going to regret having to dispose of you," he said impassively. "Well, that can't be helped; I can't afford such a volatile woman."  
  
"Me, volatile?" Bulma said, watching the Prince pour water over himself.  
  
"I've never met any Saiyajin that was more unpredictable than you," Vegita said. He made a long pause as if he were thinking about that. He muttered something that sounded like he were taking that back, but Bulma couldn't really hear him.  
  
"Well, I've never met anyone as disgusting as you," Bulma said bitterly after he had stopped muttering.  
  
Vegita just laughed and resumed bathing himself. Bulma still didn't like the idea that he was in the bath while she was naked. Suddenly it truly dawned on Bulma that he was naked too. First, she wondered where he had placed his clothes. She had looked around the room and hadn't seen any kind of sign of the garments he had been wearing. Second, Bulma thought of how close she were to a naked man. True, she had been close up to a man before at even a closer range, but he had all of his clothes on. Third, Bulma was having a difficult time taking her eyes off Vegita. The problem with this wasn't that she didn't want him to pop up anywhere else unexpectedly; no, the problem was that she actually thought that the man who threatened to kill her, tried to kill to kill her, locked her up like a prisoner, and was overall the most sickening person Bulma had ever known, was incredibly good-looking. She hadn't really thought so at first; Bulma was more horrified at their first encounter  
than staring with her mouth hanging open. When Vegita wasn't scowling, but was grinning, he allowed more of his flattering traits to appear. The fact that his body was practically perfect in every way didn't hurt either. Bulma shook her head and tried to think of the numerous negative qualities about the Prince, at least until he left the bath.  
  
"Strange that a woman that finds me so disgusting," Vegita said, swimming over to the edge of the bath, "can't take her eyes off me." He began to pull himself out of the bath and grinned when Bulma quickly darted her eyes away.  
  
"I just want to make sure you don't try anything," Bulma said, staring at the water in front of her. "Every time I look away from you, you're somewhere else."  
  
"Why don't you look at me now?"  
  
"I bet you would like that, eh?" Bulma said, doing her best to act like she was unaware of her face being red.  
  
"No, I just thought you would like that," Vegita said, putting his hands behind his head.  
  
"I am not a lecherous demon like you," Bulma said snottily. She frowned that he could dare compare himself to her.  
  
Bulma waited for some kind of reply from the Prince, but she heard absolutely nothing in return. Though she knew she shouldn't look in his direction, she did so just to make sure he hadn't disappeared again. This was the first time she wished he had; Vegita was merely waiting for her to look up at him. Bulma only caught sight of his naked form for about two seconds. She shot her head back down at the water again, redder than ever.  
  
"Boy, you make me sick..." she said angrily.  
  
"If I made you as sick as you claim, you could look me in the eye and tell me so," Vegita taunted.  
  
"You make me so sick I can't bare to look at you!" Bulma snapped.  
  
Vegita laughed, making Bulma even angrier. He had the kind of laugh that bluntly said you were less than he was and you were more of a jester than an intelligent person. It belittled, irritated, and disconcerted her all at the same time. The mere sound of it made her want to hit him over the head with a large object, scream her head off at him, and/or just plain run as far away from him as she possibly could. However, as she had been trained several times as a princess, she ignored these urges.  
  
"Are you ever going to leave?" she halfway pleaded. "I'd like to finish my bath."  
  
"Hmph, in my opinion you're about to turn into a prune staying in the water that long," Vegita said, sounding as though he were doing something. Bulma couldn't tell what, but she wasn't about to check it out either "But, perhaps since your type of people tend to wrinkle easily, you're eager to have that process started."  
  
"Wrinkle??" Bulma said, pulling her arms out of the water and looking at them. Her hands were indeed starting to look like a raisin. "Well...I don't care. I'm not getting out of this bath until you..."  
  
Bulma trailed off as she had taken a quick glance in Vegita direction. He had disappeared again, but this time she wasn't going to believe that he was really gone. She whirled around behind her to meet the Saiyajin no Ouji's gaze. Bulma cried out and quickly looked away before her brain registered that Vegita was wearing a towel around the bottom half of himself. He laughed at her again, making her feel all three of those emotions again.  
  
"Do you enjoying tormenting me?" Bulma asked, moving her gaze back to his.  
  
"Actually it is becoming one of my favorite things to do," Vegita answered, grinning down at her. "Too bad I can't do this on a daily basis."  
  
"I'm rather glad about that..." Bulma muttered, looking ahead of her again. "Are you going to leave yet?"  
  
"No, I sent Sukuwa away," Vegita said, folding his arms over his chest. "You can't be trusted by yourself even in this condition."  
  
"Oh, come on now," Bulma said, rolling her eyes. "Do you really think I'd run around in this castle full of wacko Saiyajins in my bath robe??"  
  
"Do you sleep naked?" Vegita suddenly found himself compelled to ask.  
  
"What??" Bulma said, starting to get so mad she was shaking.  
  
"I don't want any surprises if I come into your room during the night," Vegita said nonchalantly.  
  
"Why, would that give me a better chance of living?" Bulma said, joking a little.  
  
"If I told you it would, would you sleep like that?" Vegita said, snickering.  
  
"Not if my life depended on it...which it might."  
  
Vegita continued snickering, thinking this was one of the most interesting baths he had ever taken. "What will it take to get you out of this bath in a timely fashion?" he asked. "Or when my patience runs out will I have to just yank you out?"  
  
"No!" Bulma said, knowing that wasn't an idle threat. "I'll...get out if you promise not to look at me when I do."  
  
"I only promise a few things; that is not one of them."  
  
"I won't have you gaping at me while I get out the bath," Bulma said, praying that she wouldn't have to be pulled out of the bath by the Prince.  
  
Vegita let out what seemed to be a forced sigh. "You are dying anyway," he said as though he were tired of messing around with her. "I am going to give you precisely two minutes to get out of that bath and put on what you deem as...decent." He smirked and faced the opposite wall.  
  
"Hmm?" Bulma said, turning back to see if he really were doing what he said.  
  
"You have one minute and forty-five seconds," Vegita said as if he were a clock.  
  
Bulma quickly stepped out of the bath, all the while keeping her eyes on Vegita to make sure he didn't turn around when he knew that she was out. He frequently informed her of her time left, and she walked as fast as she could to retrieve her towel. She liked to take her time and make sure she was completely dry, but Vegita's constant tracking of the time was making her nervous.  
  
"Thirty seconds," Vegita said as Bulma began to put on her robe.  
  
Bulma stumbled to get it on properly and nearly didn't have it on in the correct way by the time Vegita had said her time was up. She released a breath and tied the cloth belt around her waist just as he announced the last second. Vegita grinned at her, but Bulma did not share it. Her hair was dripping water on the side of her face and tickling her at the same time.  
  
"Good, those weak legs of your can actually move," Vegita said, looking at the silk garment she had wrapped around her. "You call that decent?"  
  
"It's better than what you have covering yourself up," Bulma said, folding her arms over her chest. "Don't tell me you're going to leave here like that."  
  
"Would you like me to lose the towel?" Vegita taunted.  
  
Bulma turned her head from him and let out an aggravated sigh. This wasn't at all what she expected she'd have to deal with when she went to Vegita. She expected to have to deal with some kind of barbaric bone-head whom she could out-smart easily. It seemed like Vegita was playing with her like a cat with a toy mouse. She had thought Saiyajins were brainless fools who just like to fight all the time without much of a cause. Bulma didn't like that Vegita was proving her wrong.  
  
The Princess looked back at Vegita after he had been quiet too long for her taste. She nearly jumped. When she saw the Prince now fully dressed with his red cape draping behind him and a folded towel in his hand. He looked at her like she had been wasting all of his time.  
  
"Well, are you going to leave or do I have to kill you here tonight?" Vegita asked.  
  
"I really feel fortunate I'm dying tonight," Bulma said, liking the idea better and better. "I don't think I could stand seeing you day after day."  
  
Vegita just smirked at her and opened the door to indicate he was ready to go. Unlike the first time he had escorted her to her room, he told her to lead and he would follow. She assumed he did so to keep a better eye on her while she was in the open, but she also had a bad feeling that he liked the view better from there.  
  
*I'm not even going to ask if it can get any worse,* Bulma thought, trying to walk as if there were no one behind her. *I have a feeling if I utter or even think those exact words, somehow it will.* 


	5. Chapter 5

*Author's Note: I'm going ahead with the rest of the chapters I finished because of the nice reviews I gotten (arigatou gozaimasu! ^_^) and because at this point the story starts off in the um...sub-story that's about Gokuu. The main reason I put in this sub-story was to distract Vegita from killing Bulma because if that happens--no story, ne? Pikaru, the other guard at Bulma's door, is named in this chapter. Also, Vegita has a flashback of when he was younger, so I hope that's not confusing for anyone. Oh, and I hope everyone gets the little bit at the end with Gokuu. I just thought it would be kinda kawaii.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Midnight. The perfect time to stalk up on someone and go in for the kill. There was a nice moon outside, signaling the feeling that Vegita all ready had. He actually thought the woman had made a good suggestion to kill her in her sleep. If he did a good enough job, he could make it seem like an accident. Maybe the foolish Capsule people wouldn't believe the woman had died in her sleep by chance, but it was a good enough cover up for the Saiyajins none the less. They could fight all they liked, but they would never find evidence to actually prove the Saiyajins had a hand in Bulma's death. Not that they truly needed to remain innocent; they could easily admit killing her and destroy the Capsule Kingdom without a problem. It was just a little more fun to act like it was an accident.  
  
Vegita told Sukuwa and his partner Pikaru to take an break for an hour while he watched the Princess from the inside. They looked at him strangely, but didn't question him when he looked at them as if he would kill for even attempting to inquire about his reason. An hour was more than enough time for him, but he decided he would take his time to do it. There was no rush; no one knew that he was planning to kill her, not even his father. His father actually believed that he was going to let her live until he decided whether or not he wanted to give the woman a try. Vegita had debated it after their episode in the bath, but he believed that was a sign of weakness. He hated weakness in others, but he abhorred it in himself. The Saiyajin no Ouji was not a weak person, and he would go great lengths to verify that.  
  
When Vegita opened the door to her room, he was somewhat amazed how much moonlight had seeped into the room with the one window. Even with the piece of wood patching up the large hole in it, the whole room seemed to be lit up with it or at least covered the bed against the back wall. Bulma was well asleep by now, covered up to her waist in the dark sheets and her head turned toward the window. She looked lifeless all ready; her face seemed ghostly white in the moonlight. Vegita stood at the foot of her bed, examing the person he would have to kill. At the moment, he had a sort of regret that he decided to kill her when the moon was so visible; her features were radiant such as they had been when she was in the garden and the sunlight was covering her. This was a little worse for the Prince because now she was sleeping and looking particularly innocent. Vegita knew he had no problem with killing innocent people; that was always more fun. They would act so shocked that they  
were being killed for no good reason at all and their cries of anguish were much louder than those who deserved it. Bulma's innocent look, however, was making Vegita feel uncomfortable and certainly not like killing someone. That did make him angry, but it didn't make the feeling go away.  
  
"How can I ever be King if I let a mere woman get to me?" Vegita said, walking up to the side of the bed she was laying on. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, it would never work. If I let her live, she'll just cause me a hell of a lot of trouble."  
  
Vegita raised his hands above Bulma's head. He had thought about choking her to death, but he decided he'd give her a little dignity in death. Not that she deserved it after making him look like a fool, but she was royalty after all. He'd just quickly snap her neck, but Vegita thought he couldn't make a broken neck look like an accident, unless he made it look like she fell out of the window. The Prince kept his hands where they were, but thought of another idea as he looked at the slender neck in his view. If he applied pressure to a few specific points at the same time, he could stop her heart instantly, without any signs of foul play. He grinned, thinking about how the Capsule Kingdom would try to figure out how she died. They would suspect poison, but find no trace of it in her body. He laughed, imagining how much time they would spend trying to determine the cause of their death and never come close to figuring it out.  
  
He brought his hand down to her neck, gently rotating her head so he could easier see where he needed to apply pressure to. Bulma murmured and parted her lips that had previously been closed. Vegita froze again, having one of the strangest urges he had ever had. He wanted to touch her rose-like lips; somehow he thought they would feel like a flower petal as well. Slowly his urge was pushing away his determination to do what he had came to do. His finger even began to move toward her lips before he had even realized it. Vegita felt like he was going crazy, and he couldn't stop it. Before he knew it, his finger had brushed over her top lip. He withdrew his hand quickly, gaining control over himself for a short period. Vegita hadn't even noticed that he was breathing hard until he had that momentary sense of control again. Bulma hadn't stirred again, but Vegita felt urged to touch her again. He softly took a finger and outlined her lips. Bulma pressed her lips together again  
and then left them open again. The Prince felt his control completely coming back when he felt heat in his cheeks.  
  
"What in the hell?" Vegita said, turning his back on the sleeping Bulma. "I'm losing my mind!" He turned his head back to make sure he wasn't speaking loud enough to wake Bulma up. "I've never done anything like that before..."  
  
Vegita became furious with his weak actions and tried to get back in the mood to kill the woman. He fought with his foreign feeling for five solid minutes. However, he couldn't overpower his strange urges. Vegita muttered a curse and decided he would have to kill her when she was awake and in a more displeasing manner. He quickly began to leave the room, but stopped as he reached the door to take a glance at Bulma again. He felt some kind of hatred for her, but it wasn't allowing him to feel like killing her. Vegita forced himself to stop looking at her and left the room. He let out a relieved sigh as if he had been in danger by being in the room. Sukuwa and Pikaru hadn't returned yet, so he couldn't leave just yet. He was tempted to just find them and get the hell away from Bulma as soon as possible, but it would arouse suspicion in them that he didn't need. Right now all the Prince needed was to get himself together before he lost any more of his mind.  
  
***  
  
The next morning in Vegita, two Saiyajin soldiers were returning from a mission they had just completed in another kingdom. It was supposed to be a short trip; they were to take care of some nuisances in that kingdom and return home with the reports. However, it had taken a few more days than they had assumed. It was no matter really; the two didn't have anything terribly important they were waiting to do. In fact, they almost wished they would have been away longer; they knew about the alliance with Capsule and they knew it wasn't going to be pretty.  
  
"So, what do you think?" the Saiyajin asked, with long wild hair that ran all the down to his knees.  
  
"About what?" the other Saiyajin asked, frowning not only because of the question but of the length of time they had been riding on the horses.  
  
"Vegita-Ouji was supposed to meet his future mate yesterday from Capsule."  
  
"Uhn."  
  
"Do you think he's killed her all ready?"  
  
"Most likely." The older Saiyajin didn't really seem interested in the matter as the younger.  
  
"Too bad," the Saiyajin said snickering. "I think it would have been interesting if the Saiyajin no Ouji mated with a non-Saiyajin."  
  
"Tournament's coming up." The elder one seemed ready to change the subject. He let out a sigh as he saw the beginnings of Vegita. "We're nearly there."  
  
"Do you actually think you'll get far in the tournament?"  
  
"I'll make it farther than you will."  
  
"Ha! Care to bet on that?"  
  
The older Saiyajin grinned and rubbed the scar on his face. "I bet you won't make it to your third round," he said.  
  
"And if I do?"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I've heard after your mission to Angoba you've picked up a special item."  
  
"That was over twenty years ago..." He narrowed his eyes at the grinning Saiyajin. "How the hell did you know about that?"  
  
"I have my ways...so, do we have a deal?"  
  
"Hmph, what do I get if you do lose before your third round?"  
  
The first Saiyajin brought his horse to a halt as they reached the castle. "What do you want?"  
  
The other did the same. "I have guard duty in Section 0093; if you lose, you take my place."  
  
"Section 0093? Why the hell were you assigned there?"  
  
"Nappa is doing business there and wants inconsequential people by his side in case anything happens."  
  
"Heh, expendable, you mean?"  
  
"Doesn't matter what you call it. This is one Saiyajin that isn't going to be so easy to get rid of."  
  
"This Saiyajin too. I'll agree to your part, if you'll agree to mine."  
  
"Fine."  
  
The younger Saiyajin grinned again. "You might as well hand it over to me now, Tousan."  
  
The father glared at his son. "One day your arrogance is going to get you killed, Radditsu."  
  
***  
  
"The Princess is still alive?" Nappa laughed, having heard the latest from Sukuwa. "Where is the Prince now?"  
  
"Still training, I suppose," Sukuwa said, shoving food between words. "I've heard he's been doing so since dawn."  
  
"Hmm, Vegita-Ouji doesn't usually train that early before eating..." the commander said, rubbing his chin. He must be upset, he thought. "If I were you, I wouldn't do anything that might upset him today."  
  
"I'm not planning to. Especially since I'm all ready on his bad side for allowing the Princess to escape."  
  
Nappa laughed again. "What about Pikaru? He was just as much to blame."  
  
"Him too, but he's less willing to admit it ever happened."  
  
"Good idea," Nappa said, picking up his mug. "You two would be the laughingstock of the entire Saiyajin empire if everyone wasn't laughing at the Prince."  
  
"Laughing at the Prince?" Sukuwa said, raising a brow.  
  
"Well, laughing on the inside," Nappa said, he raised his mug to his lips and poured all of its contents into his mouth. "No one's crazy enough to laugh in his face."  
  
"If they want to keep their own face."  
  
Nappa smirked and rubbed his thumb over his mustache. "The tournament is in three days... If the Princess of Capsule is still alive, then the Prince must be accepting her as his mate."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"Vegita-Ou is announcing Vegita-Ouji as the next descendant to the Saiyajin throne."  
  
Sukuwa stopped eating completely. "I haven't heard of that. Is the Prince himself aware of that?"  
  
"No. I think it's a ploy by the King to get the Prince a mate as soon as possible. Once he names him as the heir, he must already have an intended mate."  
  
A grin formed at the side of Sukuwa's mouth. "How insidious of His Majesty."  
  
"A definite trait of the Vegita line," Nappa said, chuckling.  
  
***  
  
Vegita stopped his training and leaned against a wall, breathing heavily. Sweat was rolling all the sides of his face, and his whole body was burning from the exertion. He was beginning to tire and was so hungry he could eat anything. It had been about seven hours since he had started training, longer than he usually would train. One, he needed to stop at one point to eat; two, he didn't want anyone to think that he actually needed to train for a long amount of time. Vegita actually didn't, but training was always one of his favorite activities, especially when he could convince someone to spar with him. Often, he would spar with someone without the use of a weapon, just to give them a better chance of not looking pathetic before him. However, whenever the Prince was feeling the need to truly shed some blood, he would spar with some kind of blade and usually end up killing his opponent. He was less likely to kill someone with his bare hands; not that he couldn't do so, but  
he more often remembered that he was sparring with someone and not intentionally trying to kill them. When the Prince had a sword in his hand, all he could think about was trying to cover the shiny metal object in the red substance. At this particular moment, Vegita would have no problem killing a few opponents, but most of everyone was keeping well out of his way.  
  
For once Vegita felt very confused. "If I don't get rid of her soon...I know I will regret it," he said, flicking a bead of sweat off his nose. He stared down at the tiled floor for a long time. "I am going to do it today--I will not have that woman as my mate."  
  
Vegita cracked his back and rotated his shoulders. "As soon as a get a few things taken care of," the Prince said, mind set on it now, "I will go straight to her room and finish what I intended to do."  
  
***  
  
Bulma had awoken with the dread that she had passed on. She was more afraid that she had been sent to Hell, and it had an uncanny resemblance to the Vegita Kingdom. All night she had dreamed about the various ways she would be killed without knowledge that it had been done. She dreamt she had been stabbed ten different ways, shot through the heart with an arrow, and choked until her lungs finally gave out. The choking scared her the most because it had been her last dream and had felt so real. Vegita had a wickedly satisfied look on his face as he squeezed the life out of her. Frankly, Bulma had to touch her neck several times to make sure it didn't have the Prince's fingers imprinted in it before she believed she was still alive. She was only partially relieved that was true. The Princess was now alive with the horrible images of how she could have been killed and most likely later on would be killed. It disturbed her so much that she refused to eat anything.  
  
It was afternoon now, and though Bulma had expected Vegita to barge into her room at any moment and declare that he was going to kill her, she hadn't seen him at all. It made her feel a little better, but it kept her on edge. Why hadn't he killed her? The possibility of the reason being good never occurred in her mind; she kept thinking it was a terrible reason like Vegita decided he rather kill her when she was awake and unsuspecting. Another reason she had came up with was that he wanted to poison her, thus giving her a second reason not to eat breakfast. Bulma ruled out the poison idea and ate her lunch, thinking Saiyajins wouldn't waste food like that. Later, she thought that the Saiyajins might have an immunity to poison like she had heard and wondered if she were going to die from the food. An hour later, she still felt the same, so she figured that Vegita wasn't planning to poison her. Plus, Bulma sort of had the feeling he wasn't the type to indirectly kill people.  
  
Bulma had finally stopped worrying about her death long enough to go through some of her things. She wasn't unpacking; she was simply trying to find something to take her mind off things. In her third chest, she came across a thick book. Bulma smiled and pulled it out, recognizing it as one of her picture albums. About three years ago, a scientist had invented the camera and the Princess had taken several pictures of herself as well as her friends.  
  
The Princess sat down on her bed and flipped through the book slowly, trying to remember when each picture was taken. There was a picture of her sitting in her garden and a later picture of her looking up as it started to rain. A large picture of Gokuu smiling with his sword raised up was next to a picture of Gohan running through one of the halls in the castle with a scared expression. Under that picture was a picture of Gohan slamming into a guard. Bulma turned to the next page of pictures, seeing Yamcha, Kuririn, Gokuu, and other knights sitting at a table with drinks in their hands. Bulma laughed when she saw the picture of Chichi yelling her head off at a stunned Gokuu.  
  
Bulma didn't notice when her door opened and closed soon afterwards. She was having too much fun strolling down memory lane. When she saw something from the corner of her eye, however, she leapt up from her bed. Her album book fell to the floor and displayed two pages with amusing pictures of Gokuu.  
  
"Vegita...Ouji," Bulma said, glad she remembered to add his title before it was too late.  
  
Vegita tried not to grin at her near mess-up and looked at what she had dropped. The Prince narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of something familiar. He ignored Bulma for a moment and walked over to the album book to get a better look.  
  
"I don't believe it..." Vegita said, bending down and picking up the book.  
  
"My album book..." Bulma said, surprised he was interested in it.  
  
Vegita stared at the picture of Gokuu, nearly stunned by the resemblance. "It's..." the Prince said, trying to think of his name. "I think it was...Kakarotto..."  
  
"Kaka what?" Bulma asked, wondering what he was talking about.  
  
*Yes, it must be Bardaku's son,* Vegita thought, looking at the foolish pictures before him. *I remember my father telling me a while ago about that...*  
  
***  
  
Vegita watched with some contempt all the soldiers passing him. All of them were smiling or had blood-thirsty looks on their face as they prepared the Saiyajin army. The Elite army had already passed; now the first, second, and third class armies were passing that he was required to stand by and watch as one of his duties. He just wanted to go out and fight; it would be his third major battle. Vegita was ready and these soldiers were making him have to wait. Just as the Prince was about to snap at his father, he viewed an odd Saiyajin with a rather lifeless look to him. He wasn't sulking, but he didn't appear enthusiastic like the others were. In fact, the Saiyajin looked more like he was pouting.  
  
"Tousama, what is wrong with that Saiyajin there in the third line?"  
  
King Vegita looked where his son had asked, and saw the only Saiyajin he could be possibly talking about. "Oh, Bardaku?" he laughed. "He just lost his newborn son recently."  
  
"So? What's another low-class Saiyajin anyway?"  
  
"His mate also recently died, a little after giving birth to his son."  
  
"The child died with her?"  
  
"No, he actually lost him," King Vegita said, still laughing. When Nappa had told him the story, he had found very amusing. "He was riding with the brat on the back of his horse and he had fallen off. Bardaku looked everywhere for him, but he found no trace of him."  
  
"He's Radditsu's father, am I right?"  
  
"Yes, he's quite disgusted with his father's attitude about a lost son that most likely was another weakling."  
  
"Hmph, pathetic," Vegita said, frowning as Bardaku passed him. "Did he even have a chance to name it?"  
  
"Aa, I believe his name was Kakarotto."  
  
Vegita laughed. "What a ridiculous name."  
  
***  
  
Vegita nodded, knowing that he was looking at Kakarotto. "So, that's what happened to the little brat, eh?" He smirked to himself.  
  
"Huh?" Bulma said, looking at the pictures. "Do you know Gokuu?"  
  
"Gokuu?" Vegita said, thinking that was an even more ridiculous name.  
  
"Well, those are pictures of my friend, Son Gokuu."  
  
Vegita released a laugh and shut the book. "Hmph, and you say you don't like Saiyajins."  
  
"That hasn't changed." Bulma frowned, clueless to what he was talking about.  
  
Vegita just laughed again. "I'm taking this," he said, turning to leave.  
  
"Huh, wh-why??" Bulma said, taking a step forward.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Vegita said, exiting the room. He grinned to himself, thinking he had stumbled on something quite interesting. *I wonder how I can use this... Oh, wait a minute, I was supposed to kill that woman. Well, I'll do it later. I have plenty of time to do so.*  
  
Vegita tucked the album book under his arm and started down the hall. "Kakarotto..."  
  
***  
  
"You want to send one of your knights to our kingdom?" King Vegita asked, frowning at the other King on the video screen.  
  
"Yes, I believe it will solidify the alliance between us," King Briefs said calmly.  
  
"In what way?"  
  
"Well, I intend to use the knight as a diplomat--I would imagine you Saiyajins don't have many of those."  
  
"No," King Vegita said, grinning. "Most of the foreigners in our kingdom are slaves."  
  
"Not surprising," King Briefs said good-naturedly. "How is my daughter doing?"  
  
"I have yet to see her myself," King Vegita replied. "My son is in charge of her well-being. I haven't heard too many bad things regarding her, so I assume she is fine."  
  
"What sort of bad things?" King Briefs asked, wondering if Bulma had done anything stupid.  
  
"Well, we Saiyajins don't like foreigners too much, regardless if they are royalty," King Vegita said, grinning more at the King's concerned look. "The Princess was supposed to stay in the room given to her, but she escaped--"  
  
"You make it sound as if she is a prisoner."  
  
King Vegita laughed. "She certainly is not a prisoner," he said, trying to choose more tactful words. "We just don't trust foreigners well enough to have them running around our castle as they please."  
  
"So, Bulma left her room without permission," King Briefs said. "That caused trouble."  
  
"The way I understand it is that the guards around the castle were in an uproar trying to locate her. Luckily, my son found her before she went somewhere where she could get into a great deal of trouble."  
  
"Well, Bulma is a tricky girl," King Briefs said, smiling because his daughter managed to slip through the fingers of such people.  
  
"I doubt she will manage to trick the guards again," King Vegita said, a bit annoyed at the man's smile. "Those guards know they can easily be replaced."  
  
"If you allowed a Capsule knight to watch over the Princess, I doubt she would ever cause you any trouble," King Briefs offered, affably. The other King seemed to be bothered by his pleasant attitude.  
  
"Well, that may not be necessary," the Saiyajin King said. "However, I will think over the matter."  
  
"Thank you, Vegita-Ou." The paler King made a short bow to the other King.  
  
"Hmph," King Vegita said, ending the transmission.  
  
King Briefs smiled to himself and turned off the screen. "Well, I think that went well."  
  
***  
  
Bardaku was very surprised to discover that the Prince had summoned him for reason unknown. He hated when he was in contact with Nappa, and this had been one of those rare occasions. Usually his superior relayed messages to him that had been from Nappa to his platoon. An Elite commander hardly ever spoke to a third-ranked officer. Now the Saiyajin no Ouji himself wanted to see him? Bardaku had barely finished his report on Tofunda before he was told he was to see the Prince right away. Radditsu had joked that he was in trouble, but Bardaku knew that wasn't possible. He hadn't done anything unusual as of late.  
  
*What the hell would he want with me?* Bardaku wondered, saluting to all of his superiors in the hall. *I don't have anything the Prince would want. Hell, the Prince doesn't have anything I want.*  
  
Bardaku knocked on the door to the room he was told to go to. A voice told him to enter and he did so. The Saiyajin had never been so close to the Prince before. With the sinister look on the young one's face, he doubted he really had a desire to.  
  
"Your Majesty," Bardaku said, bowing to him. "You wished to see me?"  
  
"Bardaku, right?" Vegita said, sitting in a chair and motioning for him to stop bowing.  
  
"Yes, Your Highness."  
  
"About twenty years ago you lost your son, am I right?"  
  
Bardaku frowned, wondering why he was bringing that up. "Yes..."  
  
"Where exactly did you lose him?" Vegita continued, loving the one the other Saiyajin seemed to be agitated by the question.  
  
"In some forest...by a waterfall," Bardaku answered, trying to remain dignified through the inquiry. "Your Majesty, if I may ask a question."  
  
"Why am I questioning you about Kakarotto, hmm?" Vegita guessed.  
  
"Yes...Kakarotto..." Bardaku clenched his teeth. He had taken much of his time to try to forget he had a second son.  
  
Vegita threw the album book on the floor. "It might interest you to see this."  
  
Bardaku frowned and picked up the strange book from the floor. He opened the book at random and nearly dropped it when he saw a picture of Bulma and Gokuu smiling together. Vegita grinned, watching his reaction with amusement.  
  
"Is this...real?"  
  
"Yes, I found the Princess with this," Vegita said. "It seems Kakarotto has been living in Capsule without knowing of his Saiyajin heritage."  
  
"I don't believe it!" Bardaku said, touching the picture with his fingers it confirm its authenticity with a second sense. "I thought he was..."  
  
"Judging by those pictures it seems that Kakarotto would be better off dead," Vegita said, folding his hands together. "He's been raised as a Capsule person."  
  
"He looks so much like me," Bardaku said, temporarily ignoring the Prince. "Sire, I think a Saiyajin cannot deny his blood no matter where he grows up."  
  
"Hmph, a nice hypothesis, but I think Kakarotto has proved that wrong," Vegita said. "If he displayed any kind of behavior like that of a Saiyajin then I seriously doubt he would be good friends with the Princess. She's quite against the idea of Saiyajins."  
  
Bardaku was silent. *Kakarotto is alive...* he thought. *I thought my only chance to honor my mate's dying wish was gone...but now...*  
  
"Your Majesty, I am curious as to why you have informed me of my son's existence," Bardaku finally said.  
  
"I'm just a bit curious myself to see what a Saiyajin raised like a normal person would be like," Vegita said, eyes glinting mischievously. "He might be amusing, or if he's completely mad it would be a Saiyajin's duty to eradicate one of our own that has become inept. You agree that would be the merciful thing to do?"  
  
"Yes," Bardaku said, his brows coming together. *If he's insane I couldn't stand to see what I had done,* he thought. *My mate wanted me to train him into the best fighter ever--a Saiyajin to be proud of. An inferior Saiyajin, regardless if he is my son, should be eliminated.*  
  
"As the upcoming ruler of Vegita and the Saiyajin empire, I intend to make it clear that I will not tolerate inferior Saiyajins in my presence," Vegita said. "I think I will have someone bring Kakarotto here to see if he stands up to Saiyajin standards. If not...I'll try to find an amusing way to dispose of him."  
  
"This woman in the picture is the Princess?"  
  
Vegita made a movement of his eyebrow that confirmed that.  
  
"So, she is unaware of Kakarotto's true lineage."  
  
"Obviously," Vegita scoffed. "Which is why I am convinced that he will be a sight to see. A Saiyajin isn't what you would call a face in the crowd unless he were among other Saiyajins."  
  
Bardaku bowed again. "My liege, I thank you," he said, closing the book. "Even if Kakarotto is killed here, it would ease my mind greater than knowing that he wasn't a true Saiyajin."  
  
"A response typical of a true Saiyajin." Vegita smiled, thinking that he were beginning to like the strange Saiyajin even though he were of a much lower rank than him.  
  
"May I keep this?"  
  
Vegita waved his hand. "Do as you like," he said, dismissive of it because it belonged to Bulma. He knew that she would not be pleased of what he had done, but all the better.  
  
"Thank you again, Your Majesty." Bardaku bowed again and left once the Prince gave him a signal he may do so.  
  
"Kakarotto..." Vegita mused. A nasty grin came about his lips. "He'll be perfect to demonstrate my power. After I get rid of the Princess and deal with this lost Saiyajin, I will be looked upon as the most powerful and feared Vegita in Saiyajin history!"  
  
***  
  
Chichi handed Gokuu a cloth with a worried expression. "Are you catching a cold?"  
  
Gokuu took the cloth and blew his nose. "I think it's just something in the air," he said, sniffing a few times. "I've never sneezed that many times in a row." 


	6. Chapter 6

*Author's Note: I really like the character Bardaku and what his relationship would have been with Gokuu's mother. That's another reason this whole Gokuu family thing is popping up, and soon a flashback with Gokuu's mother (whom I have created) will pop up. I made Radditsu really bitter about Kakarotto, and I hope the reason he acts that way is understood. Bulma also looses the ability to speak in this chapter which at first I thought was really stupid because it doesn't help Gokuu stay in the dark any better, but it does allow her to stop verbally bashing Vegita and take some real action! Besides, Vegita shouldn't get away for what he did to her after she told him off, ne? ^_^  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"What the hell??" Radditsu said, gaping at the picture that looked exactly like his father minus the scar. "This has to be some kind of trick!"  
  
"Why would the Prince trick me?" Bardaku said, frowning. "I've never met him until today."  
  
"Well, Kakarotto is supposed to be dead!"  
  
"I never found a body."  
  
"But..." Radditsu scowled and closed the book. "The Prince intends to bring him here?"  
  
His father nodded. Radditsu placed the book on the bar and looked like he was thinking. Bardaku was a bit disturbed by his son's actions, but he knew that if he hadn't told him about Kakarotto, it would have caused more problems.  
  
"I want to bring Kakarotto here," Radditsu said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I should be the one to bring him here; I am his brother after all."  
  
"You don't know anything about him."  
  
"If I can get authorization from the Prince, I will speak with the Princess," Radditsu said with an unusual grin. "Supposedly they are...friends, so I can be prepared for whatever he may be."  
  
Bardaku didn't respond. Instead he picked up his mug from the bar and took a long drink. His face was expressionless as it had been when he first told Radditsu the news, but that didn't hide much from his son.  
  
"You hope Kakarotto will be allowed to live."  
  
Bardaku simply glanced at his son. "If Kakarotto is mad, he should be killed."  
  
"Kaasan made--"  
  
"Don't bring up my mate," Bardaku interrupted harshly. There was no sadness in his voice, only bitterness.  
  
"Well, you thought Kakarotto would be a great soldier," Radditsu said. He simply smirked at his father's strange manner about his mate. "Once he was properly trained."  
  
"What's your point?"  
  
"I get the distinct feeling Kakarotto is important to you--much like Ka...you know who."  
  
"I don't even know Kakarotto," Bardaku said, picking up his mug again. He drank down all of the beer. "However, he is of my blood, like you, and he reflects myself no matter how much I want to deny it. I'm only concerned about Kakarotto making me look like a fool."  
  
Radditsu studied his father's face, looking for any sign of emotion. "Then you have no objections of me retrieving him," he said after finding none.  
  
"None." Bardaku signaled for the tender to refill his mug.  
  
Radditsu rested his hand on the brown covered book and tapped his fingers upon it. On the surface his father seemed to be telling the truth about how he felt about Kakarotto, but somehow he didn't buy that Bardaku was only worried about his image. He knew that his father was the type that declared he would be judged by his actions, not his stupid offspring's actions. Then again, Radditsu hadn't ever done anything that would be considered mad. He could believe that his father would go against his morals under the circumstances, but he couldn't very believe that he would take so lightly the child his mate had asked him before she died to make into a great soldier. However, Radditsu intended to get to the truth one way or the other.  
  
***  
  
Vegita knew what was coming. His purposes were simple and he got right to the point, but he couldn't say the same for the man looking down upon him. The only person that looked down upon him. He hated that he often went around what was important to the Prince and targeted on things that were of value to himself and vexed the younger Saiyajin.  
  
"So, how did you let it happen, Ouji?" King Vegita said, still amused at the whole story.  
  
"Me?" Vegita said, tossing his cape to straighten it behind him. "It was that bumbling Sukuwa and Pikaru!"  
  
"Hoh? You say the future King of the Saiyajin empire cannot even assign dependable men to watch over an inferior woman?"  
  
"I wouldn't say she is inferior..." Vegita trailed off, wondering what the hell he was saying. His father began laughing before he could start over.  
  
"The woman clearly isn't what she seems," Vegita said, frowning that he hadn't taken care of her yet.  
  
"So, you intend to keep her?"  
  
"No, I intend to kill her, but as I said I am planning to bring the lost Saiyajin to our kingdom to display my power."  
  
"Ah, yes, Kakarotto," King Vegita said, leaning back into his red cushioned chair. "It would be entertaining to have a public killing of an insane Saiyajin. It would not only ensure that Saiyajins live by the code we have had for hundreds of years, but would also put more fear into those Capsule fools who still have several people that defy us. A death of their own should make them quiver and succumb to our power."  
  
"They'll get two deaths."  
  
King Vegita only laughed at the way his son kept trying to reinforce the point that he was going to kill the Princess. "We shall see. Who have you selected to bring the fallen Saiyajin?"  
  
"Radditsu came to me with the request to do it after he speaks with the woman."  
  
"Radditsu, really?" The King said with a short chuckle. "Are you sure it is wise to allow him to be alone with your mate?"  
  
"Hmph!" Vegita said, lifting his nose higher in the air. "As if I have to worry about any low-class..." The Prince's face turned red, noticing his father had made him do it again. "The woman is not going to be my mate."  
  
"We shall see."  
  
"The only thing `we shall see' is how long my patience will last with you, Tousama," Vegita spat.  
  
"Are you ready to take my place all ready, brat?" The King grinned at his son in a way that challenged and enticed him to do so.  
  
Vegita turned his back on his father. "I came here to get you to contact the King of Capsule to arrange the lost Saiyajin's passage to Vegita," he said, only having the ability to speak civilly because of some training in dignified manner. "Now are you going to do it, or not?"  
  
"I will talk to the King," the older Vegita said. He repressed any laughs that were trying to escape.  
  
"See that you do," Vegita said, holding the back the urge to make himself prematurely King.  
  
***  
  
Bulma couldn't understand what had happened an hour ago. She was sure that Vegita was going to come into her room and finish what he had said he would do in her sleep. But, no. The Prince came in as if that was what he was going to do and suddenly took her photo album, muttering about some Kaka thing. She suspected he knew Gokuu in some way, but it didn't make sense. None of her people had ever been in contact with Saiyajins before the alliance had came about. However, Vegita stared at Gokuu as if he had seen him every day. Could Gokuu have not told her something?  
  
The Princess was perplexed and a bit angry as well. She was beginning to relax in the tense situation she was in with the aid of her album book. It was taken without her permission, and she doubted that she would ever get it back. Bulma felt like a mouse that had been caught by a cat that put her in box and watched her hungrily above for some hours then left her alone for another period of time.  
  
"What the hell's going on?" Bulma said, putting her chin in her hands.  
  
She jumped when her door was opened, but settled when she saw that it wasn't Vegita. It was a tall Saiyajin with long, black hair that looked like if one touched it, the spike of his hair would cut their hand. He looked at her with subtle disdain, but bowed regardless of that and spoke politely to her.  
  
"Good afternoon, Your Highness," Radditsu said. "I am Radditsu, third class soldier, Unit 6."  
  
"Wh...Why are you here?" Bulma asked, wondering if Vegita had ordered her to be executed publicly or something.  
  
Radditsu stared at her for a while, making Bulma uncomfortable. Most of the Saiyajins did that to her: examined her like she were some kind of creature they had never seen. Finally, they all ended up smirking at her as if she were some kind of joke.  
  
"Kakarotto," the Saiyajin finally said.  
  
"What is this Kakarotto you people keep talking about?" Bulma said. If it this dealt with Gokuu, she had never heard him say anything about it.  
  
Radditsu pulled out the album book and opened it to a picture of Gokuu. "This is Kakarotto," he said.  
  
"I think you're mistaken," Bulma said. She raised a brow wondering why this Kakarotto person was so important. "This is my friend, Sir Son Gokuu."  
  
"He's my brother."  
  
Bulma felt all the breath being sucked out of her. "Brother??" she repeated. "No, no...that would make Gokuu a...a..."  
  
"Saiyajin," Radditsu said. He frowned. "He may very well be insane, though. How could a Saiyajin not know who he is?"  
  
"No, you must be mistaken," Bulma said, examining the man's face. He did have a sort of resemblance to Gokuu with the hair and the eyes, but she could have said that about several of the Saiyajins she saw.  
  
Several? Bulma thought with a feeling of dread. "Gokuu was raised by his grandfather, Son Gohan," she said.  
  
"Whoever the hell that man was wasn't Kakarotto's kin," Radditsu said. "Kakarotto looks so much like my father it's unbelievable."  
  
"Father?"  
  
"Bardaku...if you get a chance to see him, you'll see that he looks just like him."  
  
Bulma just stood there with her mouth hanging open. The friend she had played with ever since she was a little girl was a Saiyajin. One of the most blood-thirsty, maniacal, evil people in creation. That wasn't Gokuu--he was kind, gentle, and did good whenever he could. He never did anything in spite or revenge, and was so honest, you'd think he were a complete fool.  
  
"What about Gokuu's mother?" Bulma blinked when Radditsu scowled at the use of his name. "I mean, Kakarotto..."  
  
"Bardaku's mate died shortly after Kakarotto was born," Radditsu said impassively.  
  
"I see...but how did Go--Kakarotto get in Capsule?"  
  
"Bardaku was riding to Vegita and Kakarotto fell off the back of his horse," Radditsu said. He grunted and folded his arms over his chest. "I guess that `grandfather' of his found him and took him back to Capsule, raising him as his own."  
  
Bulma put her chin back into her hands. "I wonder how Gokuu will take this..."  
  
"We intend to bring Kakarotto here."  
  
"Really??" Bulma said, forgetting that he was a Saiyajin for a moment. "That would be great!"  
  
Radditsu stared at her grimly. "Is he a weakling?"  
  
"Gokuu is the strongest person in our kingdom!" Bulma said, frowning because his words sounded like an assumption.  
  
"Hmph, even the lowest ranked Saiyajin in our kingdom would be the strongest in your kingdom."  
  
"Gokuu has never been defeated," Bulma said snobbishly. "He's the best of all the knights in our kingdom."  
  
"Knights," Radditsu scoffed. "I guess, Kakarotto isn't going to be around for very long." He smirked to himself. "Oh, well."  
  
"What? What do you mean?"  
  
Radditsu bowed. "Thank you for your time, Your Majesty," he said, and turned for the door.  
  
"Wait!" Bulma said. Radditsu paused, but only to smirk to himself.  
  
Bulma watched him leave, now more worried about Gokuu than she were of herself. "Gokuu, what have I gotten you into?"  
  
***  
  
"A Saiyajin in my kingdom?" King Briefs asked, blinking. "Would I know him?"  
  
"I believe your daughter is friends with him," King Vegita said. "He has the typical black hair and eyes of a Saiyajin."  
  
King Briefs thought of all of the friends that Bulma had that fit the description. "Hmm...two of my knights have features like a Saiyajin," he said. "Neither of them act like Saiyajins though."  
  
"He would be about...twenty or so, I believe."  
  
"Gokuu?" King Briefs said. "No, I think you are mistaken about a Saiyajin being here."  
  
"Bardaku," King Vegita commanded. The Saiyajin with the name stepped into view of the screen.  
  
King Briefs' eyebrows raised. "He looks just like Gokuu," he said in a more dull surprise than a dignified shock.  
  
"He is the father of this Saiyajin," King Vegita said, waving a hand to indicate Bardaku could leave the room. "The Prince requests that he be brought to Vegita."  
  
"For what purpose?"  
  
"We are curious to meet him," King Vegita said with a sly grin. "He is one of us, yet he is the only Saiyajin not to be raised in a Saiyajin kingdom."  
  
King Briefs snapped his fingers. "That would solve the problem of sending a knight to your kingdom," he said, smiling. Obviously he hadn't seen the other king's grin. "Gokuu can be the knight to watch over Bulma and visit his family at the same time."  
  
"Hmph, I guess that kills two birds with one stone," King Vegita said. He let out a chuckle, leaving the other king slightly confused.  
  
***  
  
Vegita should have been doing more training at the present hour even if he had spent a great majority of the morning all ready training. However, a few things bothered him. He remembered as he had flipped through the book of pictures that he had seen one that remained on his mind. A picture of the Princess and a nearly Saiyajin looking man were holding hands in some garden. The woman had a look like there was nothing else in the world besides the man with the scarred face. The man had a goofy look on his face that Vegita didn't particularly like either. He didn't know why he was concerned about the picture, but he was. It had driven him to travel to the Princess's room again, but not with the intent to kill. Vegita wasn't even really sure what the hell he wanted with her this time. He was still planning to kill her, but he wanted her to live long enough for him to bring Kakarotto to the kingdom and deal with him. As the two were friends, it would be easier to get Kakarotto  
to their kingdom if Bulma were alive.  
  
Vegita cracked a small grin when the Princess jumped when he entered. She was doing that a great deal as of late and it was being to be amusing. He stayed near the door, not intending to stay long.  
  
"It would be of your interest to know that I am holding off your death for a while," Vegita said evenly. He figured some "small talk" would be best to start off with.  
  
"What's a while to you?" Bulma asked, wondering if he meant a day. "And why are you doing this? I thought you couldn't afford to have me around."  
  
"Well, Kakarotto is the reason," Vegita said.  
  
"Kaka... Oh, you mean Gokuu," Bulma said, remembering what Radditsu had said. "I don't understand what you people want with him--he's not like you people."  
  
Vegita chuckled. "Well, that's going to be to Kakarotto's disadvantage," he said, rubbing his hands together.  
  
"Now you're sounding like his brother...Radibu or whatever," Bulma said frowning. "What are you planning for him, Vegita?"  
  
"Woman, will I have to teach you again?"  
  
"Vegita-Ouji," Bulma said, rolling her eyes. "You know, if I have to call you so formally, then you should have to do the same for me. I am not called woman."  
  
"You would prefer man?" Vegita grinned as she turned red.  
  
"I am a princess!" Bulma shouted, not caring much who Vegita was at the moment. "I demand respect!"  
  
"And what will you do if you don't get it?" Vegita asked.  
  
"You are such a..." Bulma threw up her hands in the air. "Forget it! Talking with you is like talking to a rock." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.  
  
Vegita made a wily expression. "You really want to know what will happen to Kakarotto?" he asked in a low voice.  
  
"Of...course..." Bulma said. She swallowed, wondering why he was starting to sound like that.  
  
"He will be an example," Vegita said in the same voice. "I have a feeling he's insane."  
  
"Insane?"  
  
"A Saiyajin who acts like you people must be insane," Vegita said. "As the future ruler of the Saiyajin empire, I cannot allow such a blemish on the Saiyajin name to live."  
  
"You're going to kill Gokuu??" Bulma said, wobbling on her feet. "You can't!"  
  
"I have no choice," Vegita said, holding up a gloved hand. "It is the merciful thing to do."  
  
"But he has--" Bulma stopped herself before she revealed too much. If she told them of his wife and children, they might be killed as well.  
  
"Has what?" Vegita was slightly interested since she stopped.  
  
"Has...so many good qualities..." Bulma said, hoping it was a convincing enough cover-up.  
  
"Hmph," Vegita said. He didn't really believe her, but knew that she couldn't do anything to keep Kakarotto alive, so it were no matter. "By the way, who was that other Saiyajin-looking fellow in your little book?"  
  
"Huh?" Bulma said. For a moment she thought he were talking about Gohan, but she guessed that he hadn't seen too many pictures of him. "I don't know who you're talking about."  
  
"He had scars on his face."  
  
"Oh, Yamcha," Bulma said a little relieved. "He used to be my..." She trailed off, wondering why the hell she should tell him anything.  
  
"Your what?" Vegita was frowning now.  
  
"What is it any of your business?" Bulma returned. "He's my friend. And if you're wondering if he's a Saiyajin-he's not... I hope."  
  
"Well, maybe he can come here too and take Kakarotto's test with him," Vegita said. "If they live up to the Saiyajin standards, they can live."  
  
"No...I don't even want Gokuu to come here!" Bulma said, shivering at the thought. "Why are you so concerned with killing people?"  
  
"I'm a Saiyajin." Vegita shrugged. "What more can I say?"  
  
"Where is my album book?" Bulma suddenly asked. "I want it back."  
  
"Probably still with Bardaku," Vegita said. He frowned a little more because he hadn't gotten the answer he really wanted. "In your kingdom is it normal to be so...close with your friends?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Now the Prince was truly getting angry. "That Yamcha person..." he said, folding his arms over his chest. "You and him were in a picture as if..."  
  
"Not that it's any of your business," Bulma said, "but I used to be more than friends with Yamcha."  
  
"Hmph, and you claim you're a princess, royalty and all," Vegita scoffed.  
  
"I am a princess," Bulma said. Now she was getting angry.  
  
"What royalty would degrade themselves by being involved with a commoner in that manner?" Vegita said. He had entered his high-and-mighty attitude, so high above the sky, no one was at his level.  
  
"How do you even have the place to talk?" Bulma said, turning red. "In your opinion, I am below yourself, am I right?"  
  
"Yes, and your point?"  
  
"Well, you're supposed to be involved in that manner with me..." Bulma said haughtily. "Even if you're declaring that you're going to kill me."  
  
"Hmph, at least you're royal trash," Vegita said, using the oxymoron as if it weren't one. "A subject, no less..."  
  
"He is a knight," Bulma said. "It is perfectly acceptable for a princess to be involved with a knight."  
  
"Yes, another reason Capsule is so inferior," Vegita said, dismissing it. "Well, I've gotten all I need from you." He turned to leave.  
  
"Wait a minute!" Bulma said, grabbing his arm.  
  
Vegita was so shocked by her insolence to touch him that he didn't even know how to react. "What the hell do you think you are doing??" he asked, nearly about to throw her off him.  
  
Bulma let him go and put her hands on her hips. "You threaten to kill me, you put me down, you threaten to kill my friends, and overall you're a huge asshole," she said, forgetting all royal etiquette she had been taught. "Well, for once I want to tell you something, 'Your Majesty.' "  
  
Vegita knew he should have just walked away as though she didn't matter, but for some reason he was curious to know what exactly the little woman had to say.  
  
"You may be the Prince of the oh-so-powerful Saiyajins," Bulma said, having a slight feeling she was being a little over-dramatic, but not caring, "but you are not as superior as you think. You're unusually short, you have an attitude no one could possibly tolerate, no one ever has probably truly liked you, and I feel sorry for the woman after me that will have to be your prospected mate. The thought of even being called your friend disturbs me, and the thought of being your `mate' just makes me want to hurl! I can't wait for you to kill me because I'd kill myself if I had to give myself to an arrogant bastard like you!"  
  
Vegita's hand went for Bulma's throat before all of what she had said had sunken in. "How dare you speak to me like that!" the Prince sputtered. No one had even remotely said anything like that to him--not even his father. "There are plenty of women who would give their right arm to be in your position, woman!"  
  
"They can have it!" Bulma said, struggling to breathe. "Belonging to you...is worse than...death..." Her lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen.  
  
Vegita was tempted to kill her then, but he resisted the urge again. "Lousy bitch," he said, throwing her on the floor.  
  
Bulma landed on her rear and began rubbing her throat. She looked up at Vegita ruefully, but didn't seem any less insolent. In fact, she looked a degree more so.  
  
"Why don't you just get rid of me all ready?" she said, taking in deep breaths.  
  
"No..." Vegita said, his eyes burning into hers. "I want you to live, so you can see me kill you little friend. And maybe I won't stop there." He bent his knees so that he could be eye level with Bulma. "Before I was just going to kill you because you would cause me problems as my mate...but now I want to kill you and some other people you care about because I want you to suffer."  
  
Bulma gradually lost her spirited look and expressed more fear. Vegita's face became more malignant and vicious. His stare into her gem-like eyes never wavered, causing the Princess to have great discomfort.  
  
"I don't care what you do to me..." she said. They both knew it was a lie, but it didn't matter to Bulma. "I won't let you hurt the people I care about."  
  
"Like I've said before--what can you do about it?"  
  
"I'll...talk to Gokuu..." Bulma said, nodding to herself. "I'll warn him about you people and tell him to warn all the other people in my kingdom!"  
  
Vegita grinned, not particularly worried about Capsule rallying against Vegita, but not wanting Bulma to spoil his fun in making an example of Kakarotto. "You won't say anything to Kakarotto," he promised.  
  
"You can't stop me!" Bulma said. "He'll want to talk to me when he comes and if you don't allow him, he'll know something's wrong!"  
  
Vegita shot his hand out to her neck again, poking a spot under the curve of her jaw. "Kakarotto will know nothing," he said.  
  
Bulma opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She blinked and held her throat, clearing it several times. She tried her voice again, but it failed to come out.  
  
Vegita laughed and stood straight again. "By the time your voice comes back, Kakarotto will be dead," he said. As she stood up and flailed her arms around madly, he was more satisfied with his decision to cut off her vocal cords. "Hmm...I never thought a woman like you could seem appealing, but with no voice, you're actually tolerable."  
  
Bulma mouthed words that were heated and insulting, but nothing more. She soon gave up and looked angrily at the floor. Vegita stayed for a moment to ridicule her a little more.  
  
"Well, since you have no use of your voice," the Prince said smugly, "why don't you try another way to best me, or are you limited to your large mouth?"  
  
Bulma's features tightened, but she didn't move her gaze. Vegita's laughter pierced at her dignity like an arrow through her hand. True, her voice always seemed to be her greatest weapon against people that were physically stronger than her, but Bulma also had other strong points. She had her brilliance--with that she might me able to defeat Vegita yet. With this in mind, she lifted her head and smiled at Vegita.  
  
Vegita's brows moved in curiosity. "Something on your little mind?" he asked. "Well, try what you like, woman--you'll never get anywhere. I guarantee."  
  
Bulma's smile became more confident as if to say "we shall see." Vegita frowned, getting the message that was being sent by her smile. It reminded him so of his father's continuing to dismiss him. The Prince simply gave her a "hmph," however, and left the room. Sukuwa and Pikaru saluted to him as he closed the door.  
  
"Check on the woman, every now and then," Vegita ordered. "She's lost her voice...some kind of throat infection or something. However, I think she may be trying to compensate for that in another way. Keep me posted on anything that you find as unusual."  
  
"Hai, Vegita-Ouji!" the two Saiyajins said.  
  
Vegita left to continue his training again and plan the way he would humiliate the friend of Bulma's who happened to be wonderfully Saiyajin. In some weird way, he was looking more forward to killing Kakarotto than he had anyone else in his life. Even killing the Princess didn't have as much appeal to him as did the lost Saiyajin. He had a feeling that he'd prove something by killing him...maybe even prove to the insolent woman that he was someone to be feared. Vegita could cause fear in her most of the time, but the other times she was quite uppity and completely disrespectful. Sometimes it was amusing, but when it wasn't...it made his blood boil. He could have killed her several times all ready, but of course he hadn't. At the moment he had an excuse, but before...  
  
The Prince stopped in the middle of an empty hall and closed his eyes. The vision of Bulma sleeping with the moonlight upon her clouded his mind. He tried to flush it out by concentrating on something else, but it overtook him and called back those strange feelings again. Vegita drew in a breath and opened his eyes again.  
  
"Have I lost my mind?" he whispered to himself. "Only a minute ago I was ready to kill that little wench and now I'm..." Vegita frowned not knowing the words to express whatever he was feeling.  
  
Vegita growled at himself and quickly made his way to the training hall. He ignored all the soldiers about and went into his private room and closed the door behind him. He began to relentlessly train himself until his thoughts became focused on what his beating heart and his furious blood pumping was telling him. Kill. Kill. Kill. No thoughts of how the woman looked crossed his mind and a wall was being built up to prevent it from happening again.  
  
"Ah, yes..." Vegita said, slashing a sword about in the air. "Kakarotto will soon be the one facing this blade of mine." He grinned at his skinny reflection in the polished metal before him and released a chuckle of malice. 


	7. Chapter 7

*Author's Note: Another chapter because the other was mainly about Gokuu (like this one) and because the other one was kinda stupid in my opinion. Well, this is a chapter where I declare Bulma the winner at the end, so I hope everyone enjoys that. Gokuu's mother, Oriibu, appears in this chapter. It's my belief that Gokuu's head injury isn't entirely why he acts so human. I think Gokuu's mother was a really strange Saiyajin, so that's why he as well as she acts really strange. I mean, she's fighting while pregnant against someone who wants to injure her child! Yep, she's weird. Oh, well. Please enjoy! ^_^  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Gohan sat quietly in a chair near his mother's bed, watching his father's solemn face as he placed another damp cloth on her head. His father watched his mother for a long while before he remembered his child in the room. Gohan's father smiled at him as if to assure him everything was all right. Usually the three-year old could return his father's smile regardless of the reason it was being given to him. The young knight had the kind of smile that made you feel good from the inside and was genuinely kind. Gohan felt there was a definite reason for his mother lying on her bed with her eyes closed as if she were ill. It wasn't anything he had seen before--his mother had reacted in the same way when he had played with his father's sword one day and had sliced a tree in half. But that was only for a while, and the child didn't believe this would be momentary.  
  
"Tousan, what happened?" Gohan asked.  
  
Gokuu smiled at his son for a minute before dropping into his grave face as he looked back at his wife. "Your mother didn't take some news so well," he said. He sat down on the edge of his bed and sighed. "I can understand though..."  
  
"What is it?" Gohan wondered.  
  
Gokuu shook his head. "Gohan, I found out I wasn't born here in Capsule like I've always believed," he said.  
  
Gohan looked confused. "Where were you born?"  
  
"I'm not really sure..."  
  
"Well, if you don't know, how come Kaasan's fainted?"  
  
"Do you know who the Saiyajins are?" Gokuu met his son's gaze again and made a light smile when his son nodded. "Chichi's right--you're really smart for your age."  
  
"Kaasan says they're the most evil people in the world," Gohan added. "They were gonna destroy our kingdom, but Princess Bulma went to Vegita to form an alliance to set up peace between our two kingdoms."  
  
Gokuu laughed at the incredibility of his son's intelligence. "Now that's a whole lot for such a little guy to know," he said. He sighed again. "You're right, though; Saiyajins are terrible people. I hate to say that I'm one of them."  
  
"Tousan, you're not a Saiyajin--they're horrible people," Gohan said.  
  
"No, that's why your mother fainted... I'm a Saiyajin."  
  
Gohan's eyes grew wide. "Really?"  
  
Gokuu nodded. "The King told me today...and tomorrow I'm going to Vegita to become one of the Princess's guards..." The knight trailed off, thinking about the other parts. "You also have an uncle and a grandfather."  
  
"They're Saiyajins?" Gohan asked, receiving a nod from his father. "How long will you be gone?"  
  
Gokuu shook his head. "I'm not sure," he said thoughtfully rather than regretfully. "I just know that I have to go now, not just to make sure the Princess is all right, but to...to meet my family, no matter if they are Saiyajins."  
  
Gohan looked to his mother. "Do you think they'll like you?" he asked. He saw his mother's dark brows twitch.  
  
"Mostly likely not, but I'm not going to let that stop me from going. As a knight, it is my duty to be honorable. I can't ignore my roots."  
  
"Tousan, are you going to become like the Saiyajins?"  
  
"Of course--" Gokuu was cut off as his wife woke up and grabbed his arm.  
  
"Gokuu, you can't become like them!" Chichi said, staring at him hopelessly. "You just can't!"  
  
"Chichi," Gokuu said, giving her his famous smile that assured everyone that everything was going to be all right, "don't worry; I'm just going to see what my father and brother are like. If I'm a Saiyajin, I can't ignore it. But, just the same, I can't ignore that I've been raised here in Capsule. It's my home...and it's always going to be my home."  
  
"Gokuu..." Chichi had tears forming in her eyes.  
  
Her husband gently removed her hand from his arm and held her hand tenderly. "There's nothing to worry about. We really need to worry about Bulma--many of the other knights think she might be in some trouble. If that's true, I need to go to Vegita and find out if this is true."  
  
"Saiyajins are dangerous, though!" Chichi said, sounding like she had when her husband had shown eagerness to fight them.  
  
"Chichi, I give you my word, I will be all right," Gokuu said, laughing off her concern. He looked to Gohan. "If you keep worrying, Gohan'll get upset, right?"  
  
Gohan just quietly observed as he had been doing as his parents were talking. Chichi looked at her son too and forced herself to lay her fears away for the moment. She sat up, taking the cloth from her head.  
  
"Well, I better get dinner started--we should be eating by now," Chichi said as though they had been talking about trivial matters. "Gohan, would you like to help me?"  
  
Gohan smiled and got out of his chair quickly to take his mother's hand. The two walked out of the bedroom, leaving the knight behind with his thoughts. Gokuu frowned to himself once they had left.  
  
*I've got a bad feeling...* he thought, folding his arms over his chest. *I wonder what it could be...*  
  
***  
  
Bardaku wasn't sure how to feel at that moment. He had risen early and had taken some hours to train himself and spar with a fellow member of his unit. Later, he had taken a meal and reported for a short period of guard at some insignificant spot. Now he was, as he often was, at the little bar for the lower ranked soldiers. It was a little after noon and he had been in there for about ten minutes with the same mug of the ale in front of him. Radditsu had left not long ago, but Bardaku hadn't seen him all day. He had went by the boy's quarters, but hadn't found him there. This concerned Bardaku because it wasn't like Radditsu to get early except for an incredibly good reason. What was going on in his son's mind disturbed him. The scarred Saiyajin grasped the handle of his mug, but lost himself in thought again. That was unlike him, indeed. Bardaku was not one to over think things, but under the circumstances he could be a little out of character. After all, his son had risen  
from the dead, or at least he had liked to think of him as dead. Never had Bardaku considered his son being found by some normal person and being raised in that manner. It was such a waste in the potential his mate somehow knew he possessed. Bardaku had been skeptical on that potential, but decided to see if there were any truth in it. His oldest son had limited potential and had reached it when he was ten years old. If Kakarotto had this potential and it had been squandered in Capsule--he would gladly want to see his son slain to prevent any further embarrassment. That was the Saiyajin way of thinking.  
  
Bardaku frowned at himself. "Even in death she gets to me..." he murmured. Whenever an un-Saiyajin thought occurred in his mind, he credited it to her. His mate was a strong person indeed, but she was certainly odd by Saiyajin standards. She covered this by being clever and a devoted Saiyajin when necessary.  
  
"A true Saiyajin will ultimately be a brainless fool desiring only battle, wealth, and reproducing... Once you add a touch of invention--the ideal Saiyajin is lost, but no Saiyajin, true or not, will admit that they are anything less than the ideal Saiyajin..."  
  
His mate had told him that bunch of trash when he had reminded her of how a true Saiyajin should act. She always had an answer--un-Saiyajin often--which never pleased her mate. Bardaku had always wondered how his mate was never tried on insanity herself. He had always figured it was her strength--something she also cleverly hid. The reason for that he was unsure. Now that he had thought of her secrecy with her strength, he almost wondered if Kakarotto would secretly covering his strength.  
  
Bardaku shook his head and lifted up his mug. He took a long drink before setting it down again. He didn't know how, but he knew that he would sense when Kakarotto arrived. Depending on what Radditsu's motive was for volunteering to retrieve him was, it could be any amount of time. Bardaku knew his son could have easily ignored Kakarotto's existence, so whatever was going on in his son's mind currently was something worthwhile to discover.  
  
***  
  
Bulma worked furiously with the contents within one of her chest. She twisted a screw in and stopped a moment to wipe her brow. A sly smile came on her face, wondering why she hadn't thought about using her scientific abilities from the beginning. A minute later she heard the sound of her door opening. She quickly dropped what she was doing and closed her chest. She sat by it, changing her expression to one of depression and hopelessness.  
  
Pikaru poked his head in and looked at the Princess with raised brows. "You've been lying by that chest all day," he said.  
  
The Princess, having not the ability to speak, opened the chest only wide enough to stick her hand within it. She fished around for a few seconds and finally pulled out a doll. Pikaru looked at the thing with disgust.  
  
"I seriously doubt this is what the Prince meant..." he muttered, pulling his head back out and closing the door.  
  
Bulma smirked once he had closed the door and shook her head. She had pulled the same trick when Sukuwa had checked twenty minutes ago. The Princess put something that would absolutely seem trivial to the Saiyajins inside the chest of her work to pull out whenever it seemed the two wondered what was inside. Saiyajins... she thought picking up her screwdriver again.  
  
***  
  
Radditsu's horse stopped at a house with a small brick chimney on the roof. He had thought knights of such kingdoms were as close to nobles as commoners could get, but obviously he had been wrong about such things. He got down from his horse and frowned at the cozy little setting of the place. It had a huge meadow behind it with flowers poking out of the ground at intervals and a single thick tree with a wooden swing on its limb. He had a good sense of what would happen to his brother by just the observation of where he lived.  
  
The Saiyajin wasn't very accustomed to knocking on doors and didn't think the door would stand if he knocked on it more than once as he would a stronger door. However, Radditsu tapped lightly as lightly as he could at the door and backed away from it to wait for someone to answer.  
  
Radditsu was taken back at the scowling woman who opened the door. She was pale like most normal people were, but could have passed for a Saiyajin if she were differently dressed. Her dark eyes posed a challenge and her arms were at her side as if ready to attack. The hair of the woman was much straighter than any Saiyajin's would be, however, and done into a bun at the top of her head. Radditsu couldn't help but smile at the woman, wondering if she would try to attack him.  
  
"You're his brother?" Chichi demanded. It came across to Radditsu as a demand as well, producing a snort from his nose.  
  
"Aa." Radditsu paused for a second. "Are you his mate?"  
  
"I'm his wife," Chichi said, disliking the word he had used.  
  
The Saiyajin hadn't even considered his brother had a mate and perhaps a son as well. "Does Kakarotto have any brats yet?" he asked, trying to observe the woman to see if she had signs of a normal woman who had gone through a pregnancy. The woman seemed to be in good shape, unlike several previously pregnant women.  
  
"Chichi?" said a voice vaguely familiar before the woman could respond. Soon a man looking frightening like Bardaku stepped to the front door and put his hand on his wife's shoulder. "Go on back inside."  
  
"But, Gokuu..."  
  
Gokuu smiled at her. "Daijoubu," he said. His wife reluctantly went back inside, but gave Radditsu a mean look before she left. Gokuu looked at the man standing a few feet away from him for a long time.  
  
Radditsu stared back at him, unable to fathom the likeness to his father. And yet, the manner in which he looked at him--with the un-Saiyajin like look--suggested to him something about his mother. He had always thought she would be killed because of this, but surprisingly she had had an honorable Saiyajin death.  
  
"Well, you look enough like Bardaku," Radditsu said, wondering why he was still shocked even though he had seen him in the album book. "Doesn't mean you're anything like him."  
  
"Bardaku?" Gokuu repeated, his brows raising.  
  
Radditsu frowned, noticing his features truly resembling his mother's when he did that. "He's our father. I'm Radditsu, by the way."  
  
"I see..." Gokuu said, tightening his features.  
  
Radditsu didn't know why, but the way he kept switching between looking like his father and his mother disturbed him. A combination of his two parents' personalities? That would be dangerous. Take the un-Saiyajin qualities and put them into a low-ranked soldier and you get a soon dead Saiyajin. The lower your rank was, the more you need to be like a Saiyajin mattered. If you were powerful enough no one would question you on your Saiyajin-ness; however, if you were weaker and found to be acting like normal people--you were easily put out of your misery.  
  
"You're Kakarotto," Radditsu said. Remembering the Princess telling him how he didn't know his name, he felt it necessary to include that bit of information.  
  
"That was the name I was going to get?"  
  
"It is your name. You may be `Gokuu' in Capsule, but in Vegita you will be Kakarotto."  
  
Gokuu frowned, looking even more like his father. "My name is Gokuu--that will never change."  
  
Radditsu narrowed his eyes at his brother and then smirked. "Whatever," he said. "Let's get going."  
  
"Excuse me for a moment," Gokuu said, stepping back into his house. A minute later he came out with a large bag over his shoulder. He was smiling for some reason, and Radditsu had a strange desire to know exactly why.  
  
Gokuu made a little whistle and a chestnut-colored horse galloped to the front of the house from the meadow. Attached to its saddle was a sword, resting in its own holster. The Capsule Saiyajin got onto his horse easily and smiled at his brother patiently.  
  
"I'm ready."  
  
Radditsu looked at him strangely. "I don't know what Kaasan could have seen in you," he said gruffly. He got onto his own horse and rode off with his brother close behind.  
  
When they had started to get a steady pace together, Gokuu thought to question him about his previous comment. "What were you saying about our mother?" he asked.  
  
"She thought you had potential or something," Radditsu said, laughing. "What a joke."  
  
"Potential? For fighting, you mean?"  
  
"What the hell else, Kakarotto?"  
  
"I see..." Gokuu said thoughtfully.  
  
Radditsu scowled in front of him. *Impudent little brat...* he thought. *Well, Kakarotto won't be a thorn in my side for much longer. Long ago I thought I would have to show him up, but he goes missing and I think there's no more of him. Now turns out to be alive and I have to deal with him again. Well... unfortunately for him the Prince will deal with him... and showing him up isn't necessary once again...*  
  
***  
  
Oriibu was humming--an un-Saiyajin like quality--while she went through some motions with a sword. Radditsu watched her angrily; she often combined activities that had no business being together such as she was doing at the moment. She smiled nearly sweetly at enemies before fighting them, and laughed almost as if she were happy when she were being beaten up. Sometimes it made Radditsu wonder what his practical father saw in her; he had liked to think it was her looks. By Saiyajin standards, and maybe even normal standards, she was appealing. Her eyes were a wild green color that shined whenever she was thinking of something. She was well-toned for a female and her skin, supposedly, was quite soft for a Saiyajin. If she kept her mouth closed, Radditsu could see someone desiring her.  
  
"What the hell are you humming for, Kaasan?" Radditsu spat.  
  
"This child," Oriibu said, thrust her sword into an invisible enemy, "will be a great solider."  
  
"Hmph! He'll be no higher ranked than the rest of us."  
  
Oriibu laughed, causing her son to clench his teeth. It was that laugh that was so genial and lacking a wicked tone that it was more irritating than if she had been trying to mock him.  
  
"No, this child will even...oh, let's say give the Prince himself a run for his money," she said seriously.  
  
"You're truly insane, woman!" Radditsu said, checking behind him to make sure no one heard what she said. "You and that brat of yours could be killed for even joking about that!"  
  
"I can't help what is the truth."  
  
"Your mate won't like that you're going around saying such things," Radditsu warned in a growl.  
  
"My mate doesn't care what I say about this child," Oriibu shrugged. "He has his mind made up about how he will turn out, and I have made mine. He's never been one to take my opinion seriously, anyhow."  
  
"Grr!!" Radditsu said, drawing his sword. "I'm tired of all of your babble! Are we going to spar or not?!"  
  
"One of your weak points, boy," Oriibu said rather nicely. She faced him with a ready stance. "Right now you're having thoughts of beating me so well that your brother is killed in the process."  
  
Radditsu didn't respond. Now that his mother had become ready, he wasn't going to be distracted by her words. She often talked too much in a battle, getting her opponent off guard.  
  
Oriibu's face became dark, typical of a Saiyajin. "Don't think for a moment, you'll succeed," she said lowly. Her lips curved into a small smile that wasn't gentle or kind at all.  
  
Radditsu snarled at her and decided to make the first attack. His mother remained still, awaiting his attack...  
  
***  
  
"Have you seen Bulma?" Gokuu said, interrupting his brother's thoughts. It was just as well, as Radditsu didn't want to be reminded any more of that.  
  
"What's a Bulma?" Radditsu said, frowning. He was quickly noticing how much he didn't like Kakarotto all ready.  
  
"She's the Princess of Capsule."  
  
"Oh, that woman," Radditsu said, frown lifting a little. "Yeah, I saw that woman yesterday."  
  
"Is she all right?"  
  
"Why are you concerned about her? I thought you all ready had a mate to worry about."  
  
"Huh?" Gokuu said, turning red. He put his hand behind his head and laughed. "She's my friend... I just want to make sure she's not in any trouble."  
  
"You should worry about yourself, Kakarotto," Radditsu murmured.  
  
"Maybe," Gokuu agreed in an easy-going way that irked his brother. "Vegita isn't a place to go vacationing or something."  
  
"Well, at least you're not completely stupid."  
  
Gokuu sped his horse up a little so that he was side by side with his brother. "I have a good sense that the Saiyajins aren't going to like me very much," he said. "Judging how my own brother receives me."  
  
"You're a fool, Kakarotto," Radditsu said, narrowing his eyes. "Why did you agree to come?"  
  
"I may always think of myself as a subject of Capsule," Gokuu said, "but I can't deny what relatives I have, whoever they may be."  
  
Radditsu shook his head at him. "You will regret this, brother," he said.  
  
***  
  
Vegita wasn't planning to check to on Bulma until Gokuu had arrived, but when he had passed Sukuwa on a break and had asked him about the Princess, what he told him was a little curious. She had been sitting by a chest all day, supposedly looking at items in a chest. His Saiyajin instinct told him that she was of no concern; however, a new instinct told him that he shouldn't take the woman as lightly as any Saiyajin would. He had to think a bit differently when faced with such a strange female. Once again, he walked to her room, ignoring Pikaru who was still at guard at the door. As Sukuwa had reported, the woman was lying on the floor next to a chest. The smile on her face as Vegita entered, however, was disturbing. He wasn't sure how she could possibly do anything that might ruin what he had in store for Kakarotto, but he didn't want to take any chances.  
  
"Up to something, woman?"  
  
Bulma shrugged slyly and placed her hand on top of the chest. Vegita took a step closer. He frowned down at the long container, wondering what the woman could possibly have in it. The soldiers had reported that she kept pulling out dolls or something, but the Prince had a good feeling that this wasn't what the box was all about.  
  
"Open that chest, woman," Vegita commanded.  
  
Bulma made a look at him as if he were absolutely sure. He scowled at her in response, and Bulma shrugged again. She grasped the lid of the chest and slowly opened it. Inside were nothing but a collection of dolls and a screw driver. The tool was what set the Prince off as suspicious. What was it doing with the figurines?  
  
"Nothing but dolls?" Vegita said, folding his arms over his chest. He wondered if perhaps she wasn't hiding something under them.  
  
Bulma smiled and picked up a doll, holding it up for him to see. It had yellow hair made out of yarn and a sickly smile painted on his face. It was poorly crafted as if someone had homemade it instead of purchasing it somewhere. Vegita's face screw up in disgust. He thought about taking it from her and tearing off his head, but that was a waste of time. He wanted to be there when Kakarotto arrived.  
  
"Hmph," Vegita said, about to turn away. From the corner of his eye he saw Bulma press something on the back of the doll's back. "What the--"  
  
Vegita was cut off as a high-pitched sound emitted from the doll. It cut through his eardrums like a knife through cream and forced him to cover his ears and bend down to his knees. He bared down on his teeth and tried to get himself up, but the noise was too painful. Bulma watched him cry out with a satisfied look and waited for the guards to take notice.  
  
Pikaru and Sukuwa came into the room like clockwork, only to fall to their knees, howling in pain. Bulma set the doll down on her bed and wondered how long it the sound would keep before she would be discovered. She grabbed two more dolls and exited the room quickly, leaving the door open so anyone who came to see what was going on would be effected as well.  
  
*Good thing I remembered that Saiyajins have those sensitive ears,* she thought as she ran through the castle, setting off her doll any time she encountered a guard. *They're just like dogs--they can pick up those high-pitched sounds normal humans can't and it nearly tears their ears apart! Haha! I got Vegita again. Now they won't be able to trick Son-kun into thinking that I'm all right. He'll have to know once he's found out that I've escaped from my room.*  
  
Vegita, meanwhile, while Bulma was making fast tracks, was slowly edging toward the doll in her room, sweat dripping down the side of his head. He was getting a horrible headache and the sound was like a peevish bird flying inside his head and squawking its lungs out. At one point he had to stop and just will himself to not hear the sound that was undoubtedly going to make his ears bleed. But he knew he had to stop it before Bulma could get too far and Kakarotto had arrived. He thought of how he could easily kill her right then and forget about making her suffer, but the way he was suffering now, he wanted to destroy everything that meant even a smidgen of significance to her.  
  
*Almost there...* Vegita thought, starting to feel numb as he reached out one hand on the bed while keeping the other on his ear. It took him a full minute to grab the doll, but only a second to smash it. He let out a long breath and sunk down, leaning against the bed. Pikaru and Sukuwa also sat there, panting and rubbing their ears. They moaned in pain and fought to get back to their feet. Vegita growled once he got his breath and clenched his fists.  
  
"I want that woman found and chained to a wall!!" Vegita roared hoarsely. He stood shakily on his feet. "Damnit!!"  
  
Pikaru and Sukuwa forced themselves to stand up and salute to their Prince. "Hai, Vegita-Ouji!" They stumbled out the room.  
  
Vegita fell back down as soon as they left. "Kuso...!" He had a faint ringing in his ears and the pain in his head was excruciating. "She will regret this!"  
  
***  
  
Bardaku was just about to get up from the bar when a Saiyajin came into the area and began shouting a rumor that he had just heard that the Prince had let the Princess go missing for a brief period two days ago. He raised a brow and watched the others, most drunk, started volleys of laughter and loud conversation. Bardaku shook his head and wondered what was happening to the Saiyajin empire. If the Prince couldn't keep track of one measly woman, how was he supposed to rule over the Saiyajins one day?  
  
"Kakarotto's here..." Bardaku murmured as he decided to stay put where he was. The surrounding Saiyajins were endlessly discussing how furious the Prince was over the whole ordeal. A thing more to worry about than his leadership skills. "Somehow I think I don't need to leave here to run into him..." 


	8. Chapter 8

*Author's Notes: Well, this will be the last chapter for a while. I've gotten a few reviews where people are eager for me to get to the point where Bulma and Vegita like each other, but I'm sorry to say that is going to happen as soon as many of you would like. Frankly, I dislike fanfiction that gets to the Bulma loves Vegita and vice-versa quickly; the best ones I've read took their time, and the time taken was good. So, gomen to those who can't wait. In the end I have to write like I like to write, or I won't write at all. I had to rewrite much of this chapter and chapter nine's not quite finished (and needs more rewriting), so it will be a while before an update. Bulma gets injured in this chapter, for good reason...so Vegita realizes hurting Bulma is not possible... Well, enjoy. ^_^  
  
  
  
Chapter 8  
  
  
  
Radditsu whipped his head around as several Saiyajin ran past him in a panic as if the castle were attacked. Gokuu stood behind him with a face of wonder, but didn't ask his brother what was going on, getting the impression that he didn't know either. The older Saiyajin grabbed a guard as he tried to run past him.  
  
"What's going on??" Radditsu demanded. It wasn't normal to enter the castle and see such a thing.  
  
"The Princess has escaped again and Vegita-Ouji's ordered that everyone look for her."  
  
"How'd she get away?"  
  
"She used some high-pitched sound to distract the guards at her door and ran off." The guard left it at that and ran off to the left hall. Gokuu watched him go, lowering his brows.  
  
"What does he mean that Bulma's 'escaped?'" he asked his scowling brother. "She's not a prisoner, is she?"  
  
Radditsu ignored his question and turned his scowl on him. "Kakarotto, I'm going to help the others--don't go anywhere," he commanded. He left before Gokuu could consent to that.  
  
Gokuu frowned and looked around the stone walls, lightly decorated with blue tapestries and a seal he guessed to be the royal emblem. Other Saiyajins passed him without much notice of him, sometimes shouting things to other Saiyajins ahead of them. He thought about listening to what his brother had told him since he hadn't a clue where anything was in the castle, but as he stood there uncomfortably for two minutes, he decided that he didn't really need to listen to him because he hadn't promised that he would stay there. Gokuu figured he could find his way back before his brother returned. Somehow, he had a feeling he could find his friend before any of the other Saiyajins did. Somehow, he knew that he needed to.  
  
***  
  
Bulma had been more clever in her hiding this time. She had set off one of her dolls in a room and made it look like she had left the room while the Saiyajin guarding it was down. When someone came in and smashed the doll, the two assumed that the Princess was gone and went to search other rooms. The only bad part was that she heard them talking about guarding the halls so that she couldn't get into a room they had all ready checked. Now Bulma was stuck there, and she didn't exactly have a plan on how she would find Gokuu. She wasn't even sure if he was there yet. Bulma sighed and carefully shifted under the bed she was hiding. It was good that the covers were long enough that none of the guards could see her under there, but that was also good because she could peek underneath it and see if anyone was approaching her.  
  
She tried not to think of how angry Vegita would be with her and how he would make her pay for what she'd done. The last time she had "escaped" Vegita promised to kill her. Now he'd probably go through with it without waiting to let her see her friend die. Bulma had to remind herself that she had to give it a try instead of sitting around in her room like a mute dummy. She had the brains, though she lacked any physical power that could stand up against a Saiyajin. If she was going to die--she was going to die fighting in some way. At least she had a one-in-a-million chance to find Gokuu. If the guards decided to leave, she could slip out of the room and try to find him. However, it sounded as if Vegita had all the guards looking for her again. She wondered if any of them would try to kill her themselves if they found her. Bulma quickly answered that, knowing Vegita would want the pleasure to be all his.  
  
Bulma could hear the guards in the hall talking about something and sounding surprised. They seemed to be arguing with someone who didn't say very much. It seemed that the quieter Saiyajin won the argument, and she heard the sound of retreating feet. She decided that wasn't very important since the steps were distant from her location. Bulma mouthed something about why things like this had to happen to her.  
  
She jumped a little when she heard the door of the room creaking open further. Soft footsteps came closer and closer to the bed. Bulma said a silent curse. She wondered if she could crawl out the room before the Saiyajin found her. She was about to make her way from under the bed just as the covers hiding the side of the bed were lifted up. Bulma mentally screamed and closed her eyes. A gentle laugh filled her ears.  
  
*Hmm?* Bulma thought, slowly opening her eyes. She indeed viewed a pair of Saiyajin eyes.  
  
"I'm glad I found you first," Gokuu said, smiling at her from the side of the bed.  
  
Bulma was so glad to see someone friendly that she scrambled from under the bed and locked Gokuu in a tight hug. He laughed again and pulled her to her feet, gently letting her give him some room to breath. She started moving her mouth rapidly, forgetting that she wasn't able to speak.  
  
"What's wrong?" Gokuu said, looking at her sideways. "How come you're not saying anything?"  
  
Bulma pointed to her throat and started making weird gestures that Gokuu had no idea of what they meant. She sighed and calmed herself down; this wasn't the time to be getting overly excited. Bulma pointed to her lips and began to talk slowly and carefully so that Gokuu would be able to recognize her lips' movements. Gokuu had to watch her several times at first, unsure of what she was doing before he figured out that he was supposed to read her lips.  
  
*Vegita did something to me to make my voice go away,* Gokuu determined Bulma was trying to say.  
  
"Why'd he do that?" Gokuu asked.  
  
*Because he didn't want me to warn you about his plan to publicly kill you,* Bulma mouthed.  
  
Gokuu didn't look that surprised. "At least I was right about them planning to kill me," he said thoughtfully.  
  
*You knew??* Bulma began balling up her fists as if she were going to smack some sense into her friend. *Why are you here then?? What about Chichi and Gohan??*  
  
"I've never run away from anything in my life, and I'm about to start now. Besides, I won't die easily--I'll fight the Prince if I have to."  
  
*No!* Bulma waved her hands frantically in front of her. *He's too strong... He's inhumane!*  
  
"Just trust me, Bulma," Gokuu said, flashing her his trademark smile. "I'm not planning to die just yet, but if I do… I've all ready asked Kuririn and Yamcha to look over my family."  
  
*Son-kun...* Bulma mouthed, giving up on her agitated gestures. She bit her bottom lip and nodded. She knew once he had made up his mind, there was no changing it.  
  
"So, what should we do now?"  
  
Bulma shrugged, only planning to somehow find Gokuu and warn him. She hadn't thought what to do after she had accomplished it. Gokuu shrugged too and grasped her hand. Bulma looked at him with a smile, despite all the terrible things that were likely to occur in the future. Gokuu had that effect on her; whenever everything looked shot to hell, he came along and made it look like a walk through the clouds. His "daijoubu" smile didn't hurt either. Gokuu started leading her toward the door, unsure where they were going to go, but knowing that staying there wouldn't be any good.  
  
However, Vegita was doing a good job of following Bulma's scent again and was going to an open room. He was stopped by a Saiyajin who he thought was Bardaku, but without the scars. He then realized it was Kakarotto.  
  
"Kakarotto, what are you--" Vegita stopped as he saw the blue hair behind him. "You little bitch!!"  
  
Gokuu raised his arm, blocking Vegita's passage to Bulma who was holding onto his back. "Who are you?"  
  
Vegita smacked his arm out of his way, making Gokuu blink. "Kisama!" he roared. He glared at Bulma pressing herself into Gokuu protectively. "Who do you think you are?? You have a lot of nerve getting in the way of the Saiyajin no Ouji!"  
  
As Vegita tried to grab Bulma, Gokuu turned and moved away from the door into the hall, keeping Bulma behind him. "My propriety is to protect Bulma," he said, lowering his brows. "So, you're Vegita, huh?"  
  
Vegita decided that he would later repay Kakarotto for addressing him so informally, but presently he was distracted by Gokuu's use of the name "Bulma." "Bulma?" he repeated more to himself than Gokuu.  
  
"That's the Princess's name. Didn't you know?" Gokuu frowned, finding that awfully suspicious of one who claimed he was going to marry her.  
  
A grin slipped on Vegita's face. "And I thought Kakarotto was a ridiculous name…" he said, forgetting for the moment that he was outraged by the younger Saiyajin.  
  
Bulma poked her head from behind Gokuu and said, though no sound came out, *As if "Vegita" is a better name! It sounds like "vegetable!"*  
  
Vegita's eyes were more than enough skilled to read lips and deciphering what the Princess were trying to say was easy for the Prince. "Onore!!" he said, the grin quickly disappearing. He made another grab for Bulma, but was once again denied a hold on the Princess. Gokuu easily moved back with Bulma.  
  
"Kakarotto, if you don't get out of my way…!!"  
  
"I won't let you hurt Bulma," Gokuu nearly growled. "I don't care who you are."  
  
Vegita didn't loose the scowl on his face, but decided that getting past the fool wasn't going to be as easy he thought. "Hmph," he said, considering forgetting about publicly killing Gokuu, "you think that you could stand up against me?"  
  
*Son-kun…* Bulma silently said to his back. She tightened her grip on his shirt.  
  
Gokuu grinned as he did when he was about to fight an interesting opponent. "I'm not sure," he said. "Demo, I'm willing to find out if it gives me the chance to protect Bulma."  
  
Vegita didn't know which annoyed him more about Kakarotto: his audacity to challenge him, the Saiyajin no Ouji, or his relentless declaration of going to protect "Bulma." When he thought more of the latter, the latter angered him more. Even if there was a slight possibility that Vegita would take the woman for his mate, Vegita certainly didn't want a low-class (insane, low-class at that) addressing her more intimately than he did himself. To Vegita it was irrelevant that Gokuu came from a kingdom where such things might be a common practice; Kakarotto as well as himself stood on the ground of the Vegita Kingdom. He wouldn't have foreigners contradicting the customs that were well-rooted in his own kingdom.  
  
"I suppose you're eager to die, Kakarotto," Vegita said, his hands unconsciously rolling into fists.  
  
Gokuu's brows lowered, and he prepared himself for whatever the Saiyajin no Ouji would throw his way. However, just as Vegita were about to teach Gokuu a lesson about testing the Saiyajin no Ouji, the Prince caught sight of Radditsu rushing toward them. He supposed it was the sight of another Saiyajin that reminded Vegita of the gains of killing Gokuu later. Vegita relaxed his hands, but kept a steady glare on the man who made a wall between himself and the woman that dared to slip through his fingers a second time. Gokuu hadn't relaxed at all, hardly trusting that the Prince wouldn't try something eventually.  
  
"Kakarotto!" Radditsu said, wondering if his brother simply attracted trouble. "What the hell are you doing??"  
  
"I'm protecting my Princess," Gokuu said, not bothering to move his eyes on his brother. Vegita narrowed his eyes at Kakarotto, noticing his unwavering attitude.  
  
"Your Highness, please forgive me," Radditsu said, bowing. "I shouldn't have left this fool by himself."  
  
"You'd do well to teach your little brother the Saiyajin lifestyle…" Vegita said. "It seems he's horribly clueless about the way things are here."  
  
"Ha…hai, Ouji-sama…" Radditsu said, glancing between Vegita and Gokuu. The way the two were staring at each other suggested that both needed just one excuse to jump into a fight.  
  
"King Briefs sent me here to protect Bulma," Gokuu said. "I didn't come here to be a Saiyajin."  
  
"What do you think you are, Kakarotto??" Radditsu demanded. He finally was able to distract Gokuu's gaze from the Prince. "You might consider yourself a subject of Capsule, but it's impossible to deny your Saiyajin background."  
  
Gokuu diverted his gaze again, but his eyes had the appearance that he understood what his brother was saying. Vegita grinned to himself, glad that Radditsu could talk a little sense into him. However, the Prince realized that the only way to make it easier to get to Bulma was to assure Gokuu that she wasn't in any danger. He knew that the success of his charade would depend on Gokuu's idiocy, but he was willing to take the chance that Gokuu was as stupid as he seemed.  
  
"Kakarotto, there's no need for you to protect your Princess," Vegita said evenly. "She's not in any danger."  
  
Gokuu met eyes with Vegita again, a frown setting into place in his features in addition. "Forgive me if I find that a little hard to believe," he said. After all, Vegita's actions weren't the only reason he were doubtful; he could still feel Bulma holding onto his back as if her life depended on it.  
  
"Hmph, I bet you found it hard to believe that you were a Saiyajin, am I right?" Vegita said, grin widening at the confirmation suggested in Gokuu's eyes. "So, if that was hard for you to accept as true, it would be hard for you accept that the woman is safe in my hands."  
  
Gokuu didn't move, feeling Bulma poke her head from behind his back again. Seeing the wily look on Vegita's wicked face, Bulma was incredibly grateful that she had Gokuu in her corner now and had him to prevent Vegita from getting to her for at least a few minutes. Radditsu, though a bit slow to catch on, did his best to appear supportive of what the Prince claimed to be true. Whatever it took, Radditsu had to make sure that the Prince killed Gokuu in front of everyone. Then and only then would he be satisfied with the riddance of his brother as he had before. If Kakarotto were killed right now, it would reduce his satisfaction of proving his dead mother wrong. He had had this satisfaction before Kakarotto had resurfaced- -he would go to great lengths to return the satisfaction to himself once again.  
  
"The Princess is the Prince's 'mate,'" Radditsu said, he and the Prince the only ones aware of its quotation marks. "He is merely upset because he didn't know where she was. You can understand that, right?"  
  
"Why did you silence Bulma?" Gokuu demanded of the Prince.  
  
"Silence her?" Vegita laughed. Now he was having fun with his deception. "The woman developed a throat infection. I was examing her neck to try to help her and she kept screaming, making the infection worse. That is how she lost her voice, but she claims it is my fault."  
  
Radditsu couldn't help but grin at his prince's craftiness. It sounded logical, for a normal person anyway. However, Kakarotto didn't lose his look that wasn't uncommon to Bardaku.  
  
Bulma frowned and shook her head furiously, hoping that Gokuu wouldn't fall for it. *Damn Vegita!* she thought. *What a lying bastard! God! If I could speak I would tell His Shortness a thing or two!*  
  
"Even if you were worried, I don't think there would ever be a need for you to call Bulma a 'bitch,'" Gokuu said, folding his arms over his chest.  
  
*Hmph, she is a bitch,* Vegita thought, nearly laughing at his silent words. "How well-mannered would you expect a Saiyajin to be, Kakarotto?" he asked. "As much I am…concerned for the woman, it's impossible for me to change habits I've have since I could speak."  
  
*Ha!* Bulma thought, tempted to attack Vegita herself. *Concerned my foot! The only thing he's concerned about is killing people!*  
  
Gokuu suddenly lightened his expression. "I guess that's true," he admitted. He made a short bow. "I'm sorry, Your Highness; I didn't mean to cause trouble."  
  
Vegita smirked as did Radditsu once Bulma removed herself from Gokuu and began frantically pleading him in silence not to fall for their act. Gokuu smiled at her--his "daijoubu" smile--and put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.  
  
"Let me take the Princess back to her room," Gokuu suggested, "and then I can do whatever else you have planned for me, Your Highness."  
  
*This Kakarotto really is dumb,* Vegita thought as he looked to his confused brother. *Hmph, I can deal with the woman later... I'll just have Sukuwa and Pikaru take everything from her room in the mean time.*  
  
"Fine, Kakarotto," Vegita said. "Your brother will show you the way. Radditsu."  
  
"Hai, Vegita-Ouji." Vegita beckoned him with a finger and he stepped closer to the Prince.  
  
"Inform Sukuwa and Pikaru to remove everything in her room except for her clothing," Vegita said lowly. "Then bring Kakarotto to the throne room-- I will receive him there." Radditsu nodded.  
  
Vegita gave Bulma an evil look. "I will rest easier when you are safely back in your room," he said. He went down the hall and disappeared in a minute.  
  
Bulma cursed him over and over in her mind, but Gokuu remained placid as if he hadn't noticed the look he had given the Princess. Gokuu gasped her hand and smiled at her.  
  
"Let's go," Gokuu said, looking to his brother then.  
  
Radditsu snorted. "You're dumber than I thought…" he muttered.  
  
***  
  
"Understood," Sukuwa and Pikaru said after Radditsu told them of their orders. Radditsu nodded and looked to the closed door, wondering when his brother would come out of the room.  
  
"How is Kakarotto?" Pikaru asked, smirking. "Is he as crazy as the rumors say?"  
  
"Even worse," Radditsu said. "Surely he will be killed upon terms of insanity."  
  
"I'm not surprised," Sukuwa muttered. "Bardaku should have known that one of his brats would be insane after choosing the mate he did."  
  
"Heh, his mate even had some of the Elites interested," Pikaru said. Radditsu snorted.  
  
"Her unusual beauty only shadowed her insanity," Radditsu said bitterly. "Had she been tried for insanity, she'd been dead before Kakarotto was conceived."  
  
"Maybe you too," Pikaru said. Radditsu merely narrowed his eyes.  
  
***  
  
"Bulma, trust me," Gokuu said, waving his hands to calm his silently agitated friend. "I need to avoid upsetting Vegita as long as I can. I'm going to act like I'm in the dark, so nothing changes Vegita's plans, see?"  
  
Bulma went into one of her chests and pulled out some paper and a writing utensil. *What if your plan doesn't work?* she wrote.  
  
"I have a good feeling it will," Gokuu said. He looked behind. "I better leave before my brother gets suspicious."  
  
*Son-kun...* Bulma mouthed. She ran to embrace him.  
  
"Bulma, the only way you will get hurt is if I lose my life," Gokuu said, rubbing her back. "Trust me; I've never let you down before." He let her go and gave her his largest smile.  
  
Tears edged on her eyelids. She looked at Gokuu as if he were going straight to his death. Her knight was calm and almost joyfully. He waved to her and went out the door, leaving her alone in the room. Bulma sighed and sat down on the floor, unaware of when she would see her friend again.  
  
***  
  
Vegita was standing by the throne where his father was sitting when Gokuu and Radditsu entered the throne room. There was a line of Saiyajin officials, including Nappa, present who were curious to see what the insane Saiyajin looked like. During later Vegita reigns, occurrences of "insanity" were more frequent and more feared. There had been no such cases when the last Vegita had descended the throne; the Vegita before him had done most of the dirty work to ensure that the Saiyajin code was followed closely. King Vegita had become so confident in his ruling that the thought of an insane Saiyajin during his reign actually amused him. He could see that his son were equally amused which was a good sign. All the Saiyajins needed to share that feeling; why would a Saiyajin have any reason to be inferior?  
  
Gokuu walked impassively down the long red carpet, avoiding eye contact with the Saiyajins on both sides who scowled and whispered about him. He concentrated on the two Vegitas at the end of the carpet who were at least smiling even though it seemed to be for dire reasons. He stopped a few feet from the King's throne and bowed on one knee.  
  
"Thank you for allowing me to come to your kingdom, Your Majesty," Gokuu said, looking down at the floor he were so close to.  
  
King Vegita chuckled and folded his hands in his lap. "So you are the 'Lost Saiyajin,' hmm?" he said. "How do you like the Saiyajin kingdom so far?"  
  
Gokuu lifted his head and scratched it. "Well, it's a lot bigger than Capsule."  
  
The King was shared in his laughter by some of the other members in the room. Radditsu, near the door, frowned at his brother's simple comment. He found it a bit suspicious the way his brother were acting. Wasn't he minutes ago defying the Prince to save his insignificant Princess? Radditsu had a good feeling he was up to something and wasn't as stupid as he seemed to be.  
  
"Tell us, Kakarotto, exactly what you have been doing in Capsule during your absence," King Vegita said, grinning at his son from the corner of his mouth.  
  
"I lived with my grandfather, Son Gohan, who started my training and inspired me to be a great knight," Gokuu said, forgetting where he was for a moment. "After he died, I seemed to get into battle after battle, increasing my strength and skills each time I did. I became one of King Briefs's knights and have defended my kingdom and the royal family with my life. That's my life in a nutshell." He smiled after his summary of his existence.  
  
King Vegita's grin became wider and Vegita let out a loud, contemptible laugh. The rest of the Saiyajins in the room were silent with disbelief. How a Saiyajin could have lived a life such as Gokuu not only sounded insane, but was slightly insulting. Saiyajins, even those of low ranks, were much better than being a pathetic knight for some small, weak kingdom. Gokuu watched with wonder as Vegita continued to laugh at his story, taking no heed of how loud his voice seemed in the absence of any other sound.  
  
"I hope you will be up for the test Ouji has planned for you," King Vegita went on, not waiting for his son to stop his laughter. "Since you are one of the greatest knights of Capsule, we would like to see how you'd fare against some of our greatest warriors."  
  
"Ee?" Gokuu said, his eyes growing wide. "Hontou?? That sounds fun!"  
  
Vegita's chuckling broke off right there. "Oh, it will be fun," he said, nodding. "It surely will be one of the most intense moments of your life."  
  
"Yoshi!" Gokuu said, standing up. He smiled brightly. "When do I get tested?"  
  
"Two days," Vegita said, holding up two fingers. "I'm gracious enough to let you train in the guard's training hall in the meantime. We want it to be entertaining, at least."  
  
"I thank you, Ouji-sama," Gokuu said, bowing. "This is really going to be great! I can't wait!"  
  
"You're not the only one..." Vegita said, starting up a great chuckle again. His father joined him this time.  
  
"Baka..." Radditsu murmured, glaring at his brother across the room. "You haven't a clue of what's in store for you..."  
  
***  
  
*Saiyajins!* Bulma mouthed, wanting to scream her lungs out. She was outraged that all of her possessions, save her clothes, had been taken forcefully away. To make matters worse Pikaru and Sukuwa enjoyed every moment of taking her things. Obviously they were still upset about her recent escape and rendering them to be incompetent again. Bulma were a bit pleased about that, knowing that she had outsmarted the Saiyajins, making that her second time doing so. However, this did not compensate for another violation of her rights as a princess. How much more could Bulma take? She slumped down next to her bed and let out a great sigh. What waited for her in the future was the death of her best friend, the destruction of her kingdom, and her own death. Gokuu had given her a tiny glimpse of hope, but that hope were too small for her to hold on to. Had Vegita not given her the impression that he were some kind of indestructible monster, she might have had more faith in her best knight.  
  
*Son-kun...* Bulma thought, staring down at the floor. *You may never see your wife or son again and it will be all my fault! If only I could get away from these abominable Saiyajins... My life would be so great if I did.*  
  
Bulma turned as her door opened and prepared to frown, believing it to be Pikaru and/or Sukuwa. However, she was not so fortunate; it were exactly who she would have least wanted a "visit" from. She jumped to her feet and backed against a wall. Vegita were smiling at her, but that didn't tell her much about what the purpose of his appearance in her room was.  
  
"Doushita?" Vegita said rather affably. His smile became less affable as Bulma bared her teeth at him. "I just wanted to check up on you, that's all."  
  
*I hate you!* Bulma mouthed. She was given a loud laugh in reply.  
  
"I suggest you enjoy the last two days you will have with Kakarotto," Vegita went on. "The tournament will be his death place."  
  
*Tour...tournament?* Bulma mouthed.  
  
Vegita stepped closer to her, and Bulma decided to hold her ground to feign bravery again. As he stood about six inches from her, staring like he had when they were in the bath, she tried to move sideways. Vegita slammed his hands on both sides of her, blocking her path. Bulma eyed him, trembling and wondering what the grinning snake wanted with her.  
  
"You'll be next," Vegita said quietly. "The night of the tournament you will die. Wakatta yo?"  
  
Bulma slowly moved her lips so that Vegita could read them. *Gokuu will not be killed by the likes of you. If I were you I would pray that Gokuu doesn't kill you!*  
  
"Kakarotto kill me?" Vegita laughed. "Woman, you must have a bit of that insanity that he has." Bulma glared at him. "Too bad I won't be able to hear your screams as you watch your friend die. That would be the highlight of killing him."  
  
Bulma's cheeks flushed as Vegita let out yet another laugh. Her hands clenched at her side and shook with anger. For a brief moment she forgot completely of Vegita's position, power, and lack of compassion. In those three seconds she swung at Vegita's laughing face as hard as she was able to in that situation. In his amusement Vegita neither expected her hand to come in contact with his face nor expected it to actually cause slight discomfort. It was a bit like getting hit with a ball in the face; even if it didn't hurt you too much, it were still embarrassing because it happened while your guard were down.  
  
Vegita slowly touched his cheek where he had been slapped. Bulma's reality came back to view, and her eyes grew wide as the shock melted from Vegita's face and anger over took it. The Princess had a short flashback of when the Prince had nearly choked her to death when she had told him exactly what she had thought of him. Now it seemed she would get something equally as unpleasant in return.  
  
"O...no...re!!" The hand touching his cheek curled into a fist.  
  
*Oh, boy...* Bulma thought her eyes growing wide.  
  
"How dare you touch me like that!" Vegita's fist slammed into the wall, nearly hitting her left ear.  
  
Bulma made a silent scream and buried her face into her hands as if that would protect her from another of Vegita's attacks. The Prince drew in heavy breathes and slowly recoiled his fist. He had left a large dent in the wall and made the skin on his knuckles a bit red.  
  
"You little bitch!" Vegita said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Who do you think you are??" Bulma immediately dropped her arms, startled by the way he grabbed her like she weighed nothing.  
  
*Let go of me!* Bulma mouthed, struggling in his stationary grip.  
  
"Grr!" Vegita said, pulling her off the ground until she were above his head. "I am going to break you in half!"  
  
Bulma kicked and twisted, but that only made Vegita hold her tighter. Vegita, forgetting that Bulma weren't like any one else in his kingdom, abruptly threw her against the wall. It happened so quickly that Bulma didn't even realize the moment when she made contact with the hard surface, and everything turned black. When he saw the way she hit the wall, more helpless than anyone the Prince had ever seen, he realized that he easily could have killed her in that action. Bulma slid to the floor, motionless and eyes closed. Vegita felt an immediate fear¾an emotion he had never witnessed before. What was he afraid of?  
  
Vegita forced a scowl to counter the look of shock that had somehow seeped into his expression. He walked over to Bulma and stared down at her to see any signs of movement. Upon closer inspection he noticed the large bruise forming on her forehead.  
  
*Damn,* Vegita thought, bending down next to her. *If she's dead now, it'll ruin all of my fun...* He placed two fingers to her neck, feeling around for a pulse. *Hmph, she's alive.*  
  
Vegita stared at Bulma, contemplating what he wanted to do. The reasonable thing he thought to do was to leave her on the floor and teach her a lesson about testing Vegita's authority. However, as much as his anger and pride beckoned him to do such a thing, something held him back. It was much like the time he had went into Bulma's room to kill her while she slept, but the sight of her in the moonlight prevented him from doing so. Now she was pitifully lying on the ground unconscious, having the same effect on him. Vegita let out a growl in confusion and forced himself to stand and turn his back on the sight. Why didn't her miserable condition cause him amusement as it did when he had put several others in the same or greater predicament?  
  
*What the hell is she doing to me?* Vegita wondered, rubbing his temples.  
  
The door knocked from the outside and Vegita looked toward it. "Ouji- sama," Pikaru's voice said from the other side, "is everything all right? We heard things being slammed against the wall."  
  
"Everything is fine," Vegita said, reluctantly looking in Bulma's direction again. "Do you think the woman is that dangerous?"  
  
"Iie, Ouji-sama!" Pikaru said quickly. "Sorry, sir!"  
  
Vegita folded his arms over his chest and concentrated on the knocked out woman on his floor. *Why have I been plagued with this bitch?* he asked himself. *I'll be lenient on her this time, just to appease this damned feeling like some eternal wound I experience every time I think about leaving her in this position. I guess it's better that way; I want her to be completely well when she witnesses the death of her little knight.*  
  
Vegita smirked and carefully picked Bulma up, experiencing a slight jabbing within his gut upon noticing how lifeless she were in his arms. He fought the sensation off with a frown and carried the Princess over to her bed. Though he felt the foreign feeling dissipate when he placed Bulma comfortably on the bed, he was angry that he didn't get to exactly end their conversation as he intended. Vegita had wanted to goat the woman until she broke down and begged him to have mercy on her friend. No, the Saiyajin Prince had been met with little fear by the impertinent Princess, and even slapped. Yes, he had thrown her against and wall and showed her who truly had the power, but he had a good feeling when she awoke, she'd be more angry at him than afraid. He didn't understand that; did the Princess not see that Vegita could kill her at any moment he chose? Why was it that she was able to say such impudent things to him, knowing that it could possibly end her life?  
  
Vegita examined her face, noticing how the bruise was well developing. Suddenly he realized that if the "Lost Saiyajin" saw the mark on her forehead, he would surely question it. Though Bulma couldn't speak at the moment, he knew that somehow she'd get it across that he had done it. If Gokuu got upset and tested Vegita again like he had before, the Prince would surely kill him for his insolence before the tournament. Though that would still upset Bulma, he wanted to do it publicly to show everyone his might. Vegita scowled and exited the room.  
  
Pikaru and Sukuwa saluted him as he left the room and gave Vegita their full attention when they noticed he intended to tell them something. "Get the woman some ice," Vegita said as casually as he could. "She was stupid enough to ram her head into a wall and is now forming a bruise. I don't want Kakarotto to see it because it could ruin the main event of the tournament. Do you understand what I'm saying?"  
  
"Hai, Ouji-sama! the guards said together. "We understand!"  
  
"I know of something that will get rid of the bruise in no time, Denka," Sukuwa said. "Shall I use it?"  
  
"Yes, whatever," Vegita said, waving a hand. "I just need her to look well enough to keep that crazy Saiyajin from getting suspicious."  
  
"Hai!"  
  
Vegita quickly distanced himself from the Princess's room in desperate need of something to take his mind off what had just happened. Either he were going to go crazy remembering how he felt when he saw her, or he were going to explode from thinking about how she spoiled his fun and dared to slap him. Vegita stopped at the nearest wall and leaned his head against it. His anger was overruling his second option, and rising each second.  
  
"That woman… Wait until she wakes up!" Vegita said to the wall. 


	9. Chapter 9

*Author's Note: My first note is damn, this is a long chapter! Sorry for those who like short ones, but I decided not to break this one up since it was mostly about Gokuu. So, I continued on this chapter with the Bulma and Vegita stuff (what the fic's really about, ne?). Put in the "regen pool" which is a reinvention of the regen tank Saiyajins use. Comes in handy in this chapter (and some later ones). Another scene with Oriibu and a phrase I don't think is very common to know, "fuzakeru na." It means "don't be ridiculous," or "stop acting foolish." Something like that. I just really like that phrase. ^_^ Please enjoy, especially all of you who waited for my update!!  
  
Chapter 9  
  
  
  
"Suge!" Gokuu said, mouth open as wide as if he were a tourist on vacation. He left the training hall with his brother and continued down the halls of the castle. "I've always heard that the Saiyajins were so focused on battle, but I'm still amazed."  
  
"And I'm not surprised," Radditsu grumbled. Now that they were ending the tour of the castle, Radditsu was glad, though he had to still show his idiot brother around the rest of the kingdom, that outside the castle there was little that even his foolish sibling could gawk at in an undignified manner.  
  
"So where are we going next?" Gokuu asked.  
  
"I'm showing you where soldiers ranked such as you and I dwell," Radditsu said. They travelled to the area where they had left their horses.  
  
"Demo, I can't possibly be staying outside of the castle," Gokuu said as he mounted his horse. Radditsu didn't look at him as he did the same. "I have to stay at the castle to watch over Bulma."  
  
"You should worry about yourself, not that woman," Radditsu said. He flicked the reins in his hands, and his horse went off at a quick pace.  
  
Gokuu followed in accordance on his horse, speeding up so that he was side-by-side his brother. "While I'm here, Bulma is my main concern," he insisted. He smiled at the passing sights, viewing the part of Vegita he had only seen a glance of while making the trip to Vegita.  
  
Though he had been told that the Vegita Kingdom were highly barbaric, the towns seemed to be well-organized and busy as well. Saiyajins, as well as obvious outsiders, were moving all about. Some were sparring in the streets, particularly a young group of boys who caused Gokuu to chuckle at their antics so much like a litter of puppies playing with each other. He was surprised, however, to see so many of the "common" people as Radditsu had referred to them in armor. Even the rare sights of women, seen in the towns they went through, were dressed in the same armor. Radditsu took a moment to look at him, noticing the amazed expression once again. He hated his expression, and he hated him. However, he were happy to do the Prince's bidding if it would rid him of his ghost of brother forever.  
  
Radditsu came to a stop in a town that didn't look much different than the rest of those in Vegita. A passing Saiyajin greeted Radditsu and gave Gokuu a strange look. Gokuu blinked and soon found that several of the Saiyajins were staring at him as if he were missing a head or were walking around with a sword through his gut. While trying to determine the cause of the Saiyajins' astonishment and contempt, Radditsu had already began to move without him. Gokuu quickly went after him, temporarily ignoring the looks of the others.  
  
"Why is everyone staring at me?" Gokuu asked. His horse stepped slowly beside the other, trying to get around the Saiyajins in the road.  
  
"Because you're an outcast," Radditsu said curtly. "They don't need anyone to tell them that; they can see it written all over your face."  
  
"Sou ka na?" Gokuu said, meeting the gaze of the unfriendly Saiyajins again.  
  
Radditsu gritted his teeth. *He's just like Kaasan!* he thought, gripping the reins in his hands tighter. *She was so damn nonchalant about things that any Saiyajin would have gotten upset about!*  
  
They reached a post outside a local bar and tied up their horses there. Radditsu, once again was ambivalent about his actions. Half of him didn't want to go into the bar, the great possibility of his father being in there and having to meet Kakarotto. There was a large part of him that believed his father to be quite eager to meet his long-lost son and that angered Radditsu immensely. Why should he care even a fraction of Kakarotto's welfare? So his mother had thought he was supposed to be a great warrior; so what? Kakarotto was labeled as insane and were about to be killed in two days by the Saiyajin no Ouji himself. Bardaku had always seemed like a typical, practical Saiyajin. He wasn't the type to concern himself with insignificant matters. The side of Radditsu that conflicted with his anger of what his father's reaction to Kakarotto might be was the fact that he wanted Bardaku to see his insane son before Kakarotto was killed before all Saiyajins to see. It would give Radditsu great pleasure to watch Bardaku get a chance to talk to Kakarotto before he were killed. Yes, that side of him were causing his feet to go toward the bar.  
  
"What's this place?" Gokuu asked, about a foot behind him. He was led into a room dimly lighted though outside it were quite bright with sunlight. Saiyajins were seated at tables and at the bar itself, drinking and laughing away. The only non-Saiyajin was the bartender who seemed to be endlessly drying the inside of a mug.  
  
Radditsu spotted Bardaku at his usual spot at the bar, but Gokuu had failed to notice his twin sitting in the room. He were more concerned with the group of drunken Saiyajins that were approaching him and his brother. Radditsu turned to see the men snort at Gokuu and flex their muscles as if to show their might.  
  
"What is this?" one of them asked. "You're not Bardaku, are you, boy?"  
  
"I'm Sir Son Gokuu," Gokuu said proudly. His face only displayed confusion as the three of them exploded in laughter.  
  
"A Saiyajin knight!" another exclaimed. "That's rich!"  
  
"Say, boy, you wouldn't happen to be that rumored Saiyajin from Capsule, now would you?" the third one asked.  
  
Bardaku nearly dropped the mug he had just risen into the air. Before he hadn't heard anything, engulfed in his own thoughts, but now he had just heard something that indicated Kakarotto might be in the bar. He scowled at himself and put the mug back down. He would wait for an actual confirmation first.  
  
"I am," Gokuu said, noticing how quiet it became in the room. Only the three Saiyajin's laughter pervaded the silence.  
  
"Kakarotto..." Bardaku said, turning around in his seat.  
  
Radditsu, as well as Gokuu and the other Saiyajins turned their attention on the Saiyajin sitting on the other side of the room. Gokuu froze, stunned by the sight of his father.  
  
"There goes Bardaku now," the first Saiyajin said. "Oi, Bardaku, it seems your brat really has turned out to be some insane pariah from Capsule!"  
  
Bardaku wasn't listening to their words, but rather was astonished as much as Gokuu was. The resemblance was even greater in person, yet that wasn't what caused Bardaku to stare his son as if he were a ghost. The look of pure surprise on his face was not unlike something he had seen several times in his mate. A recall of a particular time she had displayed that look flashed before his eyes...  
  
***  
  
"...for each," Bardaku finished. He frowned in disgust as his mate made her eyes large and her face inculpable as if she didn't even know that such a thing existed. He had just explained to her the current rate for Saiyajin mercenaries in other kingdoms. Once the demand had been high as well as the price; however, once the word had been spread about the damage Saiyajins caused whenever hired, the demand went down with the price.  
  
"Masaka," Oriibu murmured, her face still appearing as unsullied ignorance.  
  
"Take that stupid look off your face," Bardaku commanded, looking around to see if anyone else had witnessed it. "It is highly un-Saiyajin like."  
  
Bardaku was amazed how easily his mate's countenance could slide from one phase to another without a hitch. Oriibu made a sly, even grin and narrowed her green eyes in a face that conveyed that her mind were working in those mysterious ways that Bardaku couldn't hope to understand in a million years. That was more Saiyajin like in the sense that it wasn't a pleasant expression and provocation was written all over her face.  
  
"Would you not agree that a Saiyajin can only be called one by birth?" Oriibu said, clasping her hands behind her head.  
  
"Nan da?"  
  
"You are only a Saiyajin if your parents were full-blooded ones."  
  
"Yes, of course." Bardaku raised a brow and frowned more at her. He hated when she played these kinds of games.  
  
"My parents were definitely of Saiyajin blood, making me a full- blooded Saiyajin."  
  
"Yes, and your point?"  
  
"My point, Bardaku, is that I am a Saiyajin," Oriibu said, her voice slipping into its melodious form. She merely grinned as her mate bared his teeth at the sound of it. "How can I, a Saiyajin, do something un-Saiyajin like? Whatever I do, I do it as a Saiyajin, so it is quite impossible for me to do anything relatively un-Saiyajin like."  
  
"You're too damn smart for you own good," Bardaku said. He started down the road again, having paused enough to speak to the unyielding woman. "I won't be responsible for your death, woman."  
  
"My goal is to make sure if someone kills me, I take he or she with me," Oriibu said, already in step with him. She smiled in the nasty way that suggested she was invincible in not only intelligence, but strength as well.  
  
"Then again maybe I will be responsible for your death," Bardaku muttered as she began her infuriating humming. "I'll kill you myself..."  
  
***  
  
"You look just like me!" Gokuu said, taking a step forward. "Suge!"  
  
This time the three Saiyajins weren't the only ones who began to laugh at his comment. The whole bar began snickering and mocking the strange son of Bardaku. Radditsu watched his father intently looking for any signs of approval of Kakarotto or something that indicated he were happy to see him. There were none. Bardaku's face were hard and bilious as it was when... Radditsu's eyes narrowed, recognizing that look. It were the same look he used to give his mother, all the times when she were acting unlike a Saiyajin shouldn't (which were often enough). When he had thought about it, he wasn't sure if he had ever even seen his father grin at his mother, yet he had consented to mate with her and associate with her until her untimely death. In some way Oriibu's strange habits must had appealed to Bardaku to some degree; he figured that was why he was staring so intently at Kakarotto. Kakarotto's flabbergasted expression should have either made Bardaku disgusted or laugh as the others in the bar.  
  
"So you're finally here, Kakarotto," Bardaku said, rising. He ignored all the comments and the laughter of the bar around him.  
  
Upon the mention of his Saiyajin name, as if it reminded him that he were indeed a Saiyajin in a Saiyajin kingdom, Gokuu's face shifted into a countenance as if he were trying to mirror his father. Radditsu's mouth partially opened, noticing that when his brother did that the distinction between the two were even less than before. Though the atmosphere of the bar were light with the amusement of Gokuu and Bardaku, Radditsu felt tense at the stare down Gokuu and Bardaku were giving each other. Even Radditsu didn't like to glare at his father that long; Bardaku usually won those eye battles whenever Radditsu engaged him in them.  
  
After two minutes, the silent battle was broken. "I want to ask you a question," Gokuu said, though not relaxing his features.  
  
"Nani?" Bardaku said, narrowing his eyes in curiosity.  
  
"I have a pretty good idea how I ended up in Capsule," Gokuu said, "demo, what of my mother? What happened to her?"  
  
Bardaku's jaw clenched, and Radditsu's muscles tightened as if he were the one that had inquired about his mother. He knew the drill when you brought up the twenty-past deceased Oriibu: expect to have a verbal beat-down if you were lucky enough not to have a physical one. Gokuu was surely not aware of such things and waited patiently for an answer. Bardaku, though annoyed by the question, was a bit encouraged by Gokuu's amount of gall. Perhaps he wasn't as insane as he had been fabled to be.  
  
"That is information that is of no use to you," Bardaku said evenly. He turned to place some coins on the bar table and then faced his son again. "Since you were foolish enough to come here, your life will end shortly." This brought more laughter in the bar, most knowing that Gokuu's fate was to be killed for insanity.  
  
Radditsu smirked and noticed the slightly angry look on Gokuu's face. His younger brother's eyes trailed their father as Bardaku passed them and made his way for the door. Radditsu was surprised, even for the insane Saiyajin, that Gokuu made steps toward him as if he intended to not be brushed off so easily.  
  
"Matte!" Gokuu said, stopping Bardaku at the door.  
  
Bardaku glared at him and Radditsu grinned in anticipation. It wasn't a far-fetched theory to think that his father could kill Kakarotto before the tournament even happened. "Nan da?" he demanded.  
  
"I have a right to know about my mother," Gokuu said, but it sounded more like a threat. "I know that coming here may be my death, but I had my reasons for coming."  
  
"And what would those reasons be?" Bardaku asked, folding his arms over his chest.  
  
"To protect my Princess and find out about my roots. Those roots include not only my brother and father, but my mother too. If I'm going to die here, I'm at least going to fulfill each of my reasons to be here to my best ability."  
  
"A real sentimental Saiyajin, ain't he?" a nameless Saiyajin laughed. Others soon joined him.  
  
*He may be sentimental, but he is also relentless,* Bardaku thought, having an equal glare in return to the one he was giving his son. *Well, might as well not let the fool do anything that would cause me to have to kill him. Seems the Prince wants that pleasure all to himself for whatever reason.*  
  
"Okay, Kakarotto," Bardaku said, grinning at him as if he knew something Gokuu didn't, "I'll make a deal with you. If you survive the tournament in two days, I'll tell you whatever you want to know about your 'roots.' If you don't, it won't matter any way because you'll be dead."  
  
Gokuu snorted, but surprisingly met Bardaku with the same grin. "I'll hold you to that," he said. His father also snorted and soon left the bar. Gokuu stared after him with the same hard expression and then lifted it suddenly as if forgetting that he had ever met Bardaku.  
  
"Oi, Radditsu," Gokuu said, looking to his brother who was trying to figure out how he should be: confused, surprised, or irascible. "I'm starved; where can we eat?"  
  
Radditsu decided to choose his last option upon his brother's words. "Kakarotto, do you have any idea--" He cut himself off as Gokuu's stomach growled, and his brother commenced to rubbing it sheepishly. "Grr!"  
  
"I hope Saiyajin food is as good as Capsule food," Gokuu said, smiling in anticipation of food.  
  
"Hmph," Radditsu muttered to himself, knowing he wouldn't be heard over all the chuckling in the bar, "might as well let the baka have a few more good meals before he dies..."  
  
***  
  
Just as it seemed that Gokuu were getting his fill of the food (or perhaps just about to take a pause because he had been eating non-stop for an hour and a half), Radditsu too was getting his fill of his brother. It wasn't just that Gokuu were causing him to spend a great deal more money than he had intended on any meal, but the fact that Gokuu weren't really as he had hoped he would be. Radditsu had expected him to be more sensible as he had been told that Capsule people were. Gokuu lacked any sense it seemed; he willing came to Vegita knowing that it would most likely cause his death, yet he didn't take any steps of precaution. No, Gokuu were acting just like...like her. Never did Radditsu think in a million years, after his mother's foolishness had finally caught up with her and caused her death, that she would rise up again in his long-lost brother. To make matters worse, Radditsu knew that Bardaku wasn't disgusted by Gokuu. His father may have been cold and disinterested on the outside, but Radditsu knew there was something else going on inside the Saiyajin. If that wasn't true, Bardaku wouldn't have left the bar when he did. After all, his son had returned and he leaves after a few words with him? Radditsu was highly suspicious; he wanted to know where his father went. What was more important than dealing with Kakarotto? Had his father not said that he was concerned about Gokuu making him look like a fool?  
  
Radditsu glanced at his brother across the table from him, plates surrounding the human vacuum. There was nothing that he seem to take his time to eat; everything was consumed in relatively five seconds. And the joy on Gokuu's face as he ate¾sickened Radditsu. It sickened him so much that he ate little of what he had bought for himself. Radditsu didn't know a Saiyajin that didn't like to eat, but Gokuu like eating to the extreme. You would think that Gokuu hadn't eaten for weeks the way he tore into an animal he couldn't identify, yet was content to eat just the same. Radditsu didn't rule out that Gokuu may have been starved at such at place as Capsule, figuring no one in Capsule would eat an eighth of what Gokuu ate; however, if that were true he doubted Gokuu would have survived very long.  
  
"M-oi."  
  
Radditsu frowned, his thoughts interrupted when Gokuu addressed him. "Nan da?"  
  
"Our mother, is she dead?"  
  
Radditsu felt more of his appetite disappearing at Gokuu's questions. "Yes, thankfully," he said. He took a large gulp of his ale. "Crazy bitch..."  
  
Gokuu completely ignored his food and stared at his brother incredulously. "How could you say that about your own mother?"  
  
"If you knew her, Kakarotto, you'd say the same thing. Besides, it wasn't as if I cared for the woman. She were merely the person that carried me in her womb for a short period of her life."  
  
"Saiyajins sure are strange..." Gokuu said, scratching his head. "I don't think I could ever say something about my mother even if I didn't know her."  
  
Considering the double meaning in what Gokuu were saying, Radditsu eyed his brother carefully. "So, would you say the same about your father?"  
  
"Ee?"  
  
"What do you think of Bardaku?"  
  
"...I just wonder where he went."  
  
Radditsu glared at him for not only avoiding his question, but also reading his mind. He had too wondered where Bardaku had went to a such a crucial time. Radditsu knew that his father didn't have any duty right now, and he wouldn't be in a sparring hall; no, Bardaku only went there when he needed to release his anger. He wasn't angry right now; Radditsu knew when his father was angry.  
  
"I probably need to get back to the castle," Gokuu said, quickly shoving all that remained on his plate into his mouth. He made a struggled swallow and beat his chest. "Oishii!"  
  
"Kakarotto, your death will be in the name of our mother."  
  
"Huh?" Gokuu turned to his brother only to be met with a disdainful glare. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Our mother should have been killed several times on account of her insanity," Radditsu said. "Now that you're going to be killed for your insanity, it will be as if she were finally getting her punishment."  
  
Upon the mention of their mother, Gokuu's curiosity rose again. "How'd she die?"  
  
"Unfortunately she had an honorable Saiyajin death," Radditsu spat. "She died in battle, at least that's all Bardaku would say about it. He's the only one who would really know, and he'd never tell you. I asked him once about it, and he told me it was none of my business. I asked again and a second later we were fighting, and I was unconscious. Word of advice, 'little brother,': don't question Bardaku about his mate. He hates when people get into his personal business."  
  
Gokuu rose from the table and his brother a strange look. "Sou ka," he said. He put his hand to his chin, rubbing it, as if he were thinking hard. "Well, I guess I better be going. Jaa."  
  
Radditsu's eyes trailed the younger Saiyajin as he left, wondering if letting Gokuu travel alone in the Saiyajin kingdom was such a good idea. Not that he cared too much for his little brother's welfare, but he had a good idea that Gokuu could easily cause trouble without getting himself killed. However, it was an opportunity for Gokuu to get hurt that allowed Radditsu to let him go, more than the fear that Gokuu would cause trouble and Radditsu would be blamed for it. He had a good feeling that Gokuu was stupid enough to, as the Saiyajin saying went, "use his own sword to cut himself."  
  
***  
  
Gokuu had thought he knew where he was going, but somewhere along the way he became sidetracked. He expected to see the tip of the castle on the horizon as he had when they were near it, but he lacked to see anything like it. In fact, he didn't think the villages he passed looked anything like the ones he had passed on his way to Radditsu's village. He let out a sigh and brought his horse to stop. Surely one of the Saiyajins in the village could help him out, but there weren't as many about as there were in the other village he had been in. The first person he found ignored him and walked away as if he hadn't spoken. Another merely laughed in his face, again leaving Gokuu without any aid. Gokuu's brows came together, and he stood in the middle of what seemed to be some kind of large plaza for fighting. That was obvious by the sword marks left and the remains of blood that caked the crevices of many of the flat stones. He scratched his head and tried to think clearly about his whereabouts. Gokuu remembered going south from the Vegita castle, but now it seemed that he had been wrong about the direction entirely. It must have been the similarity of the towns surrounding the castle.  
  
"Sou ka…" Gokuu sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "Demo, what am I going to do now? I hadn't planned leaving Bulma alone for this long…"  
  
"Hmm? Bardaku?"  
  
Gokuu blinked and turned around to see a Saiyajin with short spiky hair, staring at him. "Iie, I'm Son Gokuu," he said, fighting to smile. He was so accustomed to looking pleasant when introducing himself, but while in the Saiyajin kingdom he thought it was helpful to try to abide by some of their strange customs if not only to get one of them to help him.  
  
"Nani? Son Gokuu?" the Saiyajin said, taking a few steps toward him. He stared at him a few seconds longer before realization filled his face. "Aa! Kakarotto da!"  
  
"Well, that's what the Saiyajins call me," Gokuu said, thinking he might as well introduce himself as that if he ever wanted anyone to recognize who he was.  
  
The Saiyajin grinned and approached him. "I heard that Bardaku's son was coming," he said. "So, 'Lost Saiyajin,' how do you like Vegita?"  
  
Gokuu rubbed the back of his head and grinned. Old habits were hard to break, regardless of how much effort he put toward it. "I'd like it better if I could find my way around here," he said.  
  
The Saiyajin chuckled and folded his arms over his chest. "You live up to your name, huh?" he joked. He only grinned when Gokuu gave a blank look, missing the jest. "Amazing, you resemble…her too."  
  
Gokuu's brows lowered. "My mother?" he said. "You knew her?"  
  
"Aa, unfortunately."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Toma. Bardaku and I know each other well."  
  
"Sou ka," Gokuu said, raising a brow. *Toma doesn't seem like the type who would be the friend of Bardaku…* he thought. *Demo, I wonder if he knows anything about my mother…*  
  
"Anyway, where are you headed?" Toma said, interrupting his thoughts.  
  
"Vegita Castle," Gokuu said.  
  
"Hmph," Toma said, closing his eyes momentarily. "Intent on dying, Kakarotto? I hear the Prince is out to kill you."  
  
"Wakatta," Gokuu said, finding the comment more amusing the more he heard it. He wondered what the point was pretending to the Prince that he were clueless when he was sure everyone knew, including the Prince, that he were aware of what the royal family wanted to do to him. "Demo, I'm a knight of the kingdom of Capsule. I've promised King Briefs that I would protect my Princess who happens to reside at Vegita Castle. It wouldn't be very noble of me to not do my duty because my life was danger. Besides, the danger's what makes life more interesting, desshou?"  
  
"That's what she used to say…" Toma muttered with a smirk at the corner of his mouth. "Well, if you head straight from here for a mile you'll reach a graveyard. From there go east and you'll be on the course for the castle."  
  
Gokuu just stared at Toma, desiring to ask him more about what he knew about his mother. No one seemed to ever address her by her name, which was one of the most curious things, besides that Radditsu and Toma kept comparing her to himself. What was it about his mother that no one dared to call her by her name? Gokuu were pondering this a good minute before Toma pointed in the direction he had instructed and started off.  
  
"Ma…matte!" Gokuu said, raising his hand.  
  
"I'm sure I'll run into you again, Kakarotto," Toma said, tossing his hand back at him. He made a soft chuckle. "That is, if you're still alive later."  
  
Gokuu watched him go, frowning in slight frustration. "I don't think protecting Bulma will be the hardest part of being in Vegita…" he mused.  
  
***  
  
A year could have gone by in the darkness she were in; though the void were a bit frightening, it also seemed welcoming. After all, what was there outside of the darkness? Sorrow? Pain? Loneliness? Why would anyone willing take these things? Sure, the darkness didn't offer the opposite of these things. There was no joy; there was no pleasure; there was no companionship. However, it was one of those times when nothing was the best option between two decisions. There might have been a third option had it seemed plausible, yet how could a mere woman change a society that was dominated by not normal males, but a race of super--egotistical males. No, it was better to stay where nothing could touch her. Not a single Saiyajin, not a single feeling, not a single ray of light. It was better that way, she thought.  
  
Bulma felt the pain return before her eyes again viewed the world. *Iie,* she thought wishing it away, *I didn't choose to come back to this world, this world where people such as Saiyajins exist! I would rather live in darkness forever than suffer the life I have been given! Naze…naze am I forced to go back? I should just die… I wouldn't have to suffer anymore…*  
  
The light poured into Bulma's eyes, and she slowly focused on her surroundings. The room, or rather the prison she were forced to stay in until Vegita decided he had made her suffer enough, came into vision. The pain was just an added treat. Bulma rolled on her side, finding that a painful motion. Her lips touched the sheets on her bed and slowly her mind came to the realization: she wasn't on the floor anymore. That was surprising enough to make her ignore her aches. Why hadn't Vegita let her on the floor after…after…  
  
*Sou desu ne…* Bulma thought, staring blankly into the white sheets of her bed, *Vegita… He threw me against the wall like a…like a rag doll! I should have a concussion, or at least some kind of brain damage. My head does hurt, demo I don't feel like my mind has been affected.*  
  
Bulma attempted to lift her leg. She cried out in pain, quietly cursing to herself. The feeling was akin to trying to lift one's leg when it is pinned down by a sword. Tears might have developed in her eyes had she not compared the ache to what was going on with Gokuu. This tournament thing was surely going to be…  
  
*Wait a minute…* Bulma thought, stopping her analysis of the problem at hand. *Did I just cry out and curse out loud??*  
  
"Sou desu ka??" Bulma said, her words halfway muffled in the side of the bed. She smiled and drew in a breath. "Yoshi! My voice's back! It must have been the shock to my system when Vegita threw me against the wall… At least there's one thing that I can be grateful for because of that terrible situation."  
  
As if her brain was telling her she were overdoing it after such an ordeal, a sharp pain tore through her skull, making her cringe and close her eyes shut. It disappeared, came again a minute later, and finally went away again. Bulma took in heavy breaths; it was incredibly hard not to scream at the pain. She didn't want those guards she knew were surely at the door to come in to investigate on her. The longer she didn't see a Saiyajin, the better. Bulma drew her hand to her head where the pain had been focused, feeling for some kind of bump or swelling. There was none, and she realized for the first time that her head was cool as if ice had been laid there. Still, it seemed unlikely even if Vegita had given the order to take responsibility for Bulma's injury that merely the ice on her head could have prevented a swelling. Surely there was a bruise, but Bulma couldn't see it for herself, having no mirror in the room. She sighed and opened her eyes.  
  
"Son-kun, where are you?" Bulma said softly.  
  
Bulma blinked as she heard footsteps toward her door and heard the slight murmuring of the idiot Saiyajins at her door. Knowing who the visitor was likely to be, Bulma decided she needed to pretend as though she hadn't regained consciousness yet. She couldn't handle, mentally or physically, talking with Vegita at the moment. Besides, the thought of seeing him made her shiver on the inside. She kept picturing the way he picked her up, and then…  
  
The door made a creak as it was opened, and Bulma quickly shut her eyes again. Her heart began to thump as she heard soft footsteps coming toward her bed, and she tried her best to lie as still as possible in the situation. The silence as she waited for her visitor to indicate he had left or wasn't going to cause her any harm, drove her insane. What was he doing? Just staring at her? That really disturbed Bulma.  
  
Indeed Vegita were merely examing Bulma, a bit surprised she hadn't awoken yet. It was evening now, making it about three hours since she had passed out. Vegita wasn't concerned about the woman; he just found it strange she hadn't come to yet. How long did it take these "normal" people to get over something like that? He had merely thrown her against a wall; it wasn't as if he had beat her to a pulp or anything. However, as Vegita looked more at Bulma now, it seemed as if she had gotten beaten up. The thought that he had hurt her enough to be in that state began to make him sick. Vegita scowled, unable to shake the nausea he was experiencing. The Saiyajin no Ouji experiencing nausea? That didn't happen or even making sense happening. He was a Saiyajin, and Saiyajins didn't get sick, especially by the sight of a weak woman.  
  
Vegita turned his back to her and concentrated on making that weak feeling go away. "I am the crowned Prince of Vegita," he muttered to himself. "I, all of Saiyajins, shouldn't be showing these kinds of signs of weakness! No matter what, I must act like a Saiyajin!"  
  
Bulma tried not to show any facial expression, knowing that would indicate that she was back to her senses. She was having a difficult time, however, doing so with Vegita talking to himself. Of course, she had done things like that before, but it was stranger to see Vegita do it. After all, he was one of the oh-so-perfect Saiyajins. The crème of the crème. And what was he muttering about? All Bulma could catch was something about "weakness" and "Saiyajins." The rest was like a growl.  
  
Now that the Prince had gotten himself together, he turned back toward the "unconscious" Princess. "Hmm?" Vegita stepped closer to the bed so that he could examine her face better. *Her face… It changed. The change is slight, but still there. Her expression is tighter and more tense… Can she be waking up, or…?*  
  
Vegita frowned and reached out to take hold of her chin. He fixed his eyes on Bulma's shut ones, waiting for some kind of sign that she wasn't brain-dead. Bulma had a hard time keeping up her act. Now she was sure that Vegita was just staring at her which made her want to shiver. The longer she lied there with the knowledge that the Prince was touching her and examining her with his unpleasant eyes, the more Bulma couldn't control her body's desire to show apprehension. Her face twitched and she swallowed. Immediately afterwards, she mentally cursed that he had such an effect on her, even though the effect was completely valid after what he had done to her.  
  
"Yappari," Vegita said, fighting not to grin. He was slightly amused that the woman were pretending to be unconscious the whole time, but wanted to stand firm in the anger that he had for her. "You've already woken up, haven't you?"  
  
Bulma, despite she knew Vegita knew she were awake, resisted opening her eyes so that he could confirm that. *Iie…* she thought, ignoring the bead of sweat that rolled down the side of her head. *I'm not going to look at that monster again! Son-kun, aren't you here yet?? I really need you right now…*  
  
Now Vegita was getting annoyed. His first instinct was to shake her until she woke up, but in the condition she seemed to be in, he wasn't sure if that wouldn't do her more harm than good. Not that Vegita cared if she were more injured; he just didn't want her to become unconscious again.  
  
"Oi!" Vegita said. His grip on her chin tightened slightly. "I know you can hear me! Don't you dare try ignoring me!"  
  
Bulma swallowed again. *Damn,* she thought, *I have to do something to appease him so that he'll leave me alone. Demo, I refuse to look at him! I won't! And he doesn't need to know that my voice has returned…*  
  
Vegita's anger descended a degree when Bulma nodded her head slowly. He glared at her, disliking the fact that she hadn't opened her eyes yet. However, for the moment he were going to let that slide.  
  
"How long have you been awake?" He let go of her chin and folded his arms over his chest.  
  
Bulma shrugged and cringed afterwards. She let out a sigh, wondering how long she were going to be in pain and just how she were ever going to move off the bed. Her legs, arms, and head hurt; there was no way she would be walking soon.  
  
Vegita noticed her cringe and the sigh she had let out. "Hmph," he said, "are you truly that weak? I barely threw you against a wall and now you're acting as if I threw you off the top floor of this castle or something."  
  
*You might as well!* Bulma thought. A frown appeared on her face, but she fought the temptation to tell him off. She didn't have enough energy to, nor wanted a chance for Vegita to get angry at her again. Bulma just drew in a short breath.  
  
"…You're just faking your pain, aren't you?" Vegita said, pushing away a hint of concern that was trying to get into his voice. "You can't be that hurt from that one toss against a wall."  
  
Vegita watched Bulma's lips move, indicating she were trying to say something. *Everything hurts,* she mouthed. *It's highly likely I won't be able to move for several days.*  
  
"Days?" Vegita let out a growl and sat on the bed next to Bulma. He watched her body tense and held back a grin. He needed to concentrate on the business of her not moving for days. In two days they would have the tournament, and Bulma needed to be there when he killed Kakarotto. If she were going to be lying on her bed during that time, he might as well kill him any old place. No, he needed to take care of this business right away.  
  
"Well, even if you're lying about this, I'm not going to take a chance," Vegita said. "I didn't think I'd have to do this, but I will even if Kakarotto gets suspicious. It will be difficult for you to communicate with him anyhow with your voice still gone."  
  
Bulma might have snorted at his assumption her voice was still gone if she wasn't nervous about what he was talking about. What didn't he want to do before, but was now going to do to her? It sounded as if Bulma was going to be in more pain than she was at the moment if that were possible.  
  
*What…what are going to do to me?* Bulma silently asked.  
  
"Hmph, not that you don't deserve to be in pain after what you did to me…" Vegita said, his words feeling a bit false, but of course, that couldn't be possible for the Saiyajin no Ouji. "I don't really have a choice about it, since if you're hurt, it will ruin my plans."  
  
*Na…nani?*  
  
Vegita ignored her mute words and slipped his hand under her back. The alarm Bulma experienced when he touched in that manner completely made her forget that her motions were now painful. Eyes now open, she slid away to the left edge of the bed, more concerned with her fear than her sore muscles. Vegita raised a brow at her, mostly in surprise.  
  
"I thought you said everything hurts," he said, watching her heavy breathing. "Why is it that you can jump over to the other side of the bed so easily?"  
  
*That did hurt,* Bulma mouthed. She swallowed, noticing that she was close to saying that out loud. *I don't want you touching me again--ever.*  
  
"Hmph." Vegita scowled at her, his temper rising instantaneously. He wasn't even sure why her silent comment made him so angry. A minute glaring at her and he concluded that it had to be the fact that she was getting in the way of his plan with her strange behavior. That had to be it.  
  
"Fuzakeru na!" Vegita snapped, breaking the brief quiet. "I hate that I even have to do this for you…a woman that doesn't know her place!" He leaned over and grabbed her arm. "I have killed people for far less than what you've said and done to me! Slapping me--are you out of your mind??"  
  
As much as it hurt and scared her for Vegita to hold her arm like that, Bulma had another sudden temper flare from Vegita's words. She didn't know what it was about him that made her so furious; surely it couldn't just be the fact he was a heartless, arrogant, pig-headed bastard. No, he was also violent, bloodthirsty, uncouth, and just plain unpleasant to be around. Yes, it was stupid to even dare to argue with him again after the wall incident, but Bulma couldn't help it; she wasn't used to being thrown around (literally as well) as if she wasn't important. She was a princess. She didn't need to prove that she, from birth, deserved to be treated in that manner.  
  
*Me out of my mind??* Bulma's lips began moving rapidly at this moment, but Vegita was able to keep up despite that. *You threw me against a wall! I'm not a Saiyajin; I could have been killed or had serious brain damage! It's a miracle that I was even able to regain consciousness by this time! Don't you have any kind of regret of what you did to me??*  
  
"You deserved it," Vegita said. He let go her arm immediately after saying that, a reaction of the alien feeling that invaded him again. His now free hand held his head.  
  
*Maybe she's right about me being out of my mind,* Vegita thought, concentrating to push the weak intruder away.  
  
Bulma simply stared at Vegita as he struggled with something with himself. Just as quick as her anger had appeared, it had gone. Now she was concerned with whatever was plaguing the Saiyajin Prince. She hadn't ever seen him like he was; he seemed extremely frustrated and if Bulma didn't know any better, confused. Besides the way he looked, as if there was a voice in his head telling him to do something he didn't want to do, there was the matter of him suddenly losing his grip on her. That had really made Bulma wonder what was wrong with him; he had let go as if holding onto her bothered him as much as it did her. It would have been pointless for her to ask him since she was still feigning no voice and he seemed way too occupied with his problem to notice she were trying to say something. Bulma watched him quietly, half with fear that his problem would soon become hers and half with wonder.  
  
Vegita's breathing was a bit more labored by then. *What is wrong with me?* he thought. *First feeling sick and then this ridiculous feeling! It's all this woman's fault;it has to be! If this keeps up I'll be…I'll be denied the Saiyajin throne… That's it; I'm just going to concentrate on my plan; I'm not going worry about this woman even as much as my plan involves her. Kakarotto and she will be killed as I have thought it out to be. Yes, and for that to happen I have to get this woman in a better condition.*  
  
Bulma internally jumped when Vegita snapped out of his quandary as fast as he went into it. He looked at her intently and grabbed her arm again. Bulma fought not to look away, fearing he was going to indeed turn his problem on her.  
  
"Listen you asinine little woman," Vegita growled in her face. "You are going to cooperate with me without any hindrance! Or would you prefer to lie on this bed in more pain than you already are??"  
  
Bulma swallowed and shook her head. His erratic behavior was currently frightening her more than what he had done and could do to her. Saiyajins were bad enough without them acting like they were mentally unstable. She was surprised that they considered Gokuu insane; if they watched Vegita more often they might just change their definition of what was insane.  
  
Vegita growled some additional incoherent words and once again tried to lift Bulma off the bed. Bulma didn't fight him this time, but he could feel every involuntary movement of her body. As he carried her out the room, he expected to feel himself smirking at someone's else fear of him, as was common with him, but he only frowned as he did when someone was annoying him or testing his authority. Although this was strange, Vegita did his best to ignore it. He didn't need to distract himself from his plan any more. Besides, Sukuwa and Pikaru were regarding him now with veiled suspicion.  
  
"When Kakarotto shows up again, tell him that the woman is in my care at the moment," Vegita instructed.  
  
"Uh, hai…Denka…" Sukuwa said, watching his Prince walk away with the incapacitated woman in arms. He looked to Pikaru who looked equally suspicious. "What do you think that is all about?"  
  
"Saa?" Pikaru said, relaxing a little at his post. "The Prince has been acting strange lately."  
  
"You're telling me…"  
  
***  
  
Bulma had thought the scariest matter she'd have to deal with the Saiyajin no Ouji was her killing or hurting her; however, she found out that when she was unsure what Vegita was going to do to her was even more scary than when she knew exactly what he was going to do. This was true when she had been promised she would be killed in the night, but instead was left alive to wonder when he was going to come and go through with his promise. This was certainly true when she had escaped from her room a second time and was visited by the Prince. That moment before she was thrown against the wall was one of the most terrifying moments of her life…and the situation she was in now, being carried by Vegita to God-knows- where was causing her level of anxiety to almost reach her recent "get- together" with the wall. Bulma wanted to scream her head off, kicking until she fell out of Vegita's arms. Damn the pain; she wanted to be nowhere near the bastard. She wanted to go home and be with her family and friends, maybe even invent something else that could benefit the world. Regrettably Bulma couldn't override her fear. It was set, at least with Vegita's hands touching her…the hands that had thrown her into a wall mercilessly. Now more than ever Bulma felt powerless, yet it wasn't Vegita that had her captured; it was her fear.  
  
Vegita was feeling more relieved as he traveled to the room that would fix his current problem with the woman. Well, it would fix one of his current problems with the woman; the problems with her were far greater than the Saiyajin empire itself. He could still feel how tense Bulma's body was in his arms in spite of her disability, but the silence was doing him some good. Vegita's head was clearing, and his regular attitude about everything (especially Bulma) was coming back into view. Yes, he was going to help her this one time, but it was all for the sake of her suffering that he would produce in two days. Vegita smiled to himself and stopped at a locked door at the end of an empty hall.  
  
Bulma eyed the door, that looked so common, yet was so terrifying. What was behind the door? Vegita's hinting that it may be something beneficial to her, was inconsequential to her. The Saiyajin no Ouji help her, even if it were to his own eventual gain? Bulma never would think it was possible. After all, he had thrown her against a wall. No matter how many times she thought of that, it would never get old.  
  
Vegita dropped his left arm slowly, letting Bulma's feet touch the floor, but keeping his other arm around her back. Her shivering in this action was much greater than when Vegita had been transporting her to the room. Vegita grinned, but he would never admit it even to himself that his expression was almost completely forced. He pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. For a moment he thought of pushing Bulma along into the room so he wouldn't have to carry her any more, but each second he thought of it started to beckon that feeling that attacked him lately. Vegita growled, having to satisfy some unknown emotion as if he were its slave. If only he could make it disappear forever!  
  
Vegita lifted Bulma up once again and carried her into the near empty room. There seemed to be only a small pool of emerald water inside. That eased Bulma only slightly. Why would a room with just a pool be locked up? Why did Vegita bring her there? Bulma concluded, drawing from all the events that had occurred in just one day, that Vegita were going to drown her or at least try to. Perhaps he wanted to play with her a while for his sick amusement. Her chest rose up and down violently as he laid her on her back on the tiled floor next to the pool. She didn't want to look up at him, to see him above her while she was helpless on the floor, but she didn't want him to be out of her sight either. Vegita's raven eyes locked with hers for a brief moment (Bulma figured it had to be he was thinking of exactly what he wanted to do to her), and he left her sight as he walked away from her left side. Bulma forced herself to turn her neck so her eyes wouldn't leave Vegita for more than a minute and discovered he were only locking the door. At first she was comforted by that before she realized that she was now locked inside this room with the horrible man. Her panic rose and she shuddered so terribly that she was sure she would roll over into the pool any minute. As if Vegita realized this, he sat her up and held her firmly in place. The dark eyes that were planted on Bulma didn't seem to have the glint they did when the Prince were set on something evil, but the annoyance expressed on his face was evident.  
  
"What the hell are you shaking so much for??" Bulma almost raised a brow at his question. The better question would be why he seemed so disturbed that she was shaking. "Did I say I was going to hurt you? I thought you said you were a genius, yet you can't even distinguish between when you are safe and when you are in danger."  
  
Bulma's lips twitched as she fought not to mouth the words she were thinking, but she couldn't help it. *You threw me against a wall,* she silently said. For a moment she thought about speaking aloud, but she thought the fact she could speak and Vegita thought she couldn't could be an advantage to her in future somehow. *Do you seriously think I'll ever feel safe when you're around me?*  
  
"I'd tell you to shut up, but you're not really saying anything," Vegita said, hating her repetitiveness. She needed to get over what had happened and learn from her mistake: touching him without his consent. "Just quit acting like an idiot and let me get this over with."  
  
*Get what over with??*  
  
Vegita didn't bother to read her lips any more. He held her up with one hand and began undoing her dress with the other hand. Of course, Bulma began squirming like crazy, one of her worst fears coming true. Vegita truly was crazy, she thought; he was going to take advantage of her at a time like this?  
  
"Grr!" Vegita almost was going to shake her, but all he did was tighten his hold on her. "Stop moving around, damnit! Would you rather get into this pool fully dressed??"  
  
*Why do I need to get in this pool??* Bulma demanded.  
  
Vegita was going to explode in frustration, but he repressed it and for once thought rationally. "You are going in this pool so you can heal," he said. He glared at her confused expressed. "What, do you think your stupid little kingdom is the only one that has advancements in technology?"  
  
*De…demo…*  
  
"We call it a regen pool," Vegita said. "Only the Elites know about this, however. If the low-classes want to get healed, they'll do it the hard way. Of course, I've never needed this." He smirked as if insinuated that she were horribly weak.  
  
*So, I just sit in the pool and my injuries will be gone?*  
  
"Yes, you stupid little woman," Vegita said. "Now that we've wasted more of my precious time explaining what's going on, will you stop acting like an idiot?"  
  
Idiot, Bulma thought furiously for the few seconds before Vegita went back to undressing her. She forgot about her second time being called that and worried about the Prince's hands unbuttoning the back of her dress.  
  
Vegita soon forget about his reasons for undressing Bulma and concentrated on merely the action. It slightly reminded him of when he had joined her in the bath the other day. As he caught a glimpse of her creamy- colored back from the split now formed in her dress, he thought of how he wouldn't mind doing that everyday. Bulma, feeling her exposed skin from behind, shivered and also recalled the little episode in the bathing hall. She couldn't believe after that she was allowing him to take off her clothes. Now more than ever she didn't want him leering at her body. Of course, that was exactly what Vegita was doing. He slid down her dress, but was greatly disappointed at what he discovered was wrapped around her back.  
  
"What the hell is this white thing you're wearing??" Vegita said. He noticed that it was only covering her breasts.  
  
Bulma felt herself flushing all the way to her collar. Even Yamcha hadn't been allowed to see her like this, and they had gotten relatively serious before they dissolved their relationship. Now she was sitting there on the floor, her dress down to her waist, having a lewd man gawking at her and inquiring about her undergarments.  
  
*It's call a "brassiere,"* Bulma explained. *My mother invented this to eliminate the other cumbersome supports we women have to wear…* Bulma trailed off, growing hot with embarrassment. Why was she even explaining all of this to him? It was none of his business, and he shouldn't sound so disappointed about it in the first place.  
  
"What a useless invention," Vegita said, tempted to rip it off. It was attached by two large buttons which the Prince began to reach for.  
  
Bulma pulled forward and shook her head furiously. Vegita frowned and glared at her back. "Hmph, are you going to act meek again?" he asked. "I said you needed to get into this pool."  
  
Bulma turned her head back so he could read her lips. *You can take off my dress, but not my undergarments.*  
  
"Are you trying to order me around?" Vegita inquired, eyes narrowing. "I'll do as I please! If you don't like it, I'll just simply throw you into pool as you are right now!"  
  
Vegita watched her eyes waver with concern of being totally exposed to him. He thought for a moment (falling prey to his foreign feeling again) that her eyes resembled the pool water. The water continuously shook in its square space as did the blue in Bulma's eyes. He supposed that was because of tears filming her eyes, but he finally got his senses together that he didn't need to think about such things in the first place. He growled, knowing that if her stupid look was effecting him, then surely humiliating her by exposing her most private areas would invoke the "invader" of his mind once again. He let out a low growl.  
  
"Hmph, it's probably best if you leave some of your body covered up, Vegita said. "From what I saw in the bath the other day, you should never been seen completely naked."  
  
Bulma clenched her teeth, but pacified herself with the fact that he wasn't going to leave her completely exposed. She was almost relieved when he took off her dress completely; at least now she wouldn't have to feel his hands over her so closely. However, though having her underwear and bra on, she hated that Vegita could freely look at the majority of her body. She wondered if this was what prostitutes went through.  
  
Vegita tried not to enjoy the near-naked Bulma, but he couldn't resist it. He liked what he saw, and he liked the way Bulma was embarrassed to be seen by him. Thousands of thoughts raced through his head of how to take advantage of the situation, but he knew that he didn't have time for any of those things. Besides, he didn't like the woman enough to do any of them, as much as she had her appeal at times…  
  
Bulma drew in a startled breath as Vegita grabbed her by her waist and lifted her off the floor. Being held above the ground like that only reminded her of the way Vegita had before he threw her against the wall. Though she fought it, tears began to weld up in her eyes. Vegita either didn't see them or ignored them. Carefully, he lowered her into the water, which was much deeper than Bulma would have guessed. He hadn't let her go yet, but she was nearly halfway in and it didn't seem like her feet were that close to touching the bottom of the pool.  
  
"Hold onto the edge for a moment," Vegita commanded. "I know you can at least manage that in all your pain." He smirked a little at her perturbed expression and let her go once she had done as he had instructed.  
  
Vegita pulled back one of the large tiles on the floor which had some kind of mask underneath it. He pulled it out, revealing a tube to be attached to it that was coiled under the tile as well. Vegita pulled it out so that the tube extended enough to allow him to attach the mask to her face. Bulma raised a brow and stupidly tried to ask him about the mask. She frowned, realizing that now he couldn't read her lips.  
  
"You have to be completely submerged," Vegita said, figuring the prying woman would be wondering about the mask. "The mask is to help you breathe. Unless you'd like to see how long you can hold your breath?" He let out a three-second chuckle at her angry expression. "Yoshi, let go."  
  
Bulma hesitated, nervous about being underwater while Vegita was above doing unseen actions. Vegita lowered his brows and fixed her problem on his own. He removed her hands easily, and the Princess wasn't able to move fast enough in her condition to latch on again. Gradually she sunk to the bottom where about two feet of water was above her. Vegita looked down at her, his left eyebrow twitching.  
  
"Damn troublesome woman…" he muttered. He pulled back the tile next to the other he had already pulled, allowing him to view the controls of the regen pool. He punched a few buttons and waited for the screen to show it was activated.  
  
The screen turned green and then showed the time remaining that Vegita had set. He figured an hour would be good for her or at least have her walking with ease again. Even though he hadn't ever used the regen pool, he had still been taught how to use it. He sat down next to the pool, one leg extended and the other bent so he could lay his arm on his knee. Vegita had the option of leaving her by herself, but he didn't want to risk anyone finding her there. Even if she wasn't going to be his mate, she was currently his property and he didn't want anyone to see her as exposed as she was. He let out a breath and closed his eyes, waiting for the sound that would indicate Bulma's time was up.  
  
Bulma's eyes too closed while she was underwater, feeling more relaxed than she ever had been in the Saiyajin Kingdom (save the short time she was in Gokuu's care). The water had gotten warmer in about a minute after her feet touched the bottom of the pool. She wasn't sure if it were just the temperature, but her whole body was relived of it aches and tension. Bulma felt like she were floating…and her mind drifted away as if she were being beckoned by a wonderful dream.  
  
*Michi's End Note: Yeah, it'll be another while till Chapter Ten. Sorry, I have a few other fics I'm simultaneously working on (along with school crap... Mou!!) ^_^ 


	10. Chapter 10

*Author's Notes: I'm sorry this chapter is short, but I guess I wanted to get another chapter out because it's been a while. I'll make chapter eleven longer (and hopefully I'll do a good job of the fight scences which aren't my forte...), so I hope you won't feel that you're cheated. Please enjoy and bare with me--I plan to conclude this fic in about five more chapters or so. ^_^  
  
  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
  
  
Gokuu couldn't say that he was scared; there had only been a few times in his life where he could have truly said that he had experienced fear. However, he could imagine someone being scared when witnessing the Vegita Kingdom at night. It was eerie, to say the least, and certainty less inviting than it was in the day. The trees seemed to be dark enemies waiting in the shadows to pull him into the forest at any moment, and even the occasional nocturnal animal scampering about the grass seemed ominous; it was as if they were guardian beasts of the Saiyajin kingdom and barred any intruders from infiltrating the area. Still, as frightening as the place seemed to be, Gokuu was intrigued by the graveyard that he now stopped at. In the back of his mind he realized that he needed to see Bulma as quickly as possible, but something else made him dismount his horse and secure it to the iron gate. He had to admit that Vegita was more advanced than he had heard (rumors were that it was similar to Stone Age civilization), but the fact that Saiyajins actually buried their dead was still surprising. It seemed they wouldn't be the type of people who mourned over their dead, or even acknowledged death at all. Saiyajins had that "I'm immortal" sort of attitude that was easy to pick up on.  
  
Gokuu pushed forward the doors and entered the small area reserved for the dead. It didn't look much different from a regular cemetery, except that each tombstone was exactly identical. That wasn't too surprising, nor the fact that none of the graves had any flowers next to them. The place seemed as though it hadn't been visited in several years, but the number of graves present suggested otherwise. Gokuu guessed that people simply placed the dead there and never thought twice of them. However, it puzzled him that there were so few graves and the Saiyajins were many. Surely more of them had died; he hadn't seen any old Saiyajins hobbling around, if Saiyajins ever did get old. Gokuu wasn't exactly sure…  
  
A sign before the first row of graves caught Gokuu's eyes. He stepped forward and bent down so he could read the small print. His brows raised as he viewed the words: "Burial Ground of Those Who Died Honorably in Battle." He stood straight again and understood why there were so little of the Saiyajins buried there. Gokuu scratched his head and wondered why more Saiyajins weren't killed in battle if they were in constant battle all their lives. If anything, he would figure that would be their only means of death. Gokuu would have stood there to ponder that longer if a figure in the far corner of the cemetery hadn't grabbed his attention. Someone was actually visiting the cemetery. Gokuu, being a highly curious fellow, headed in the direction of the unknown person.  
  
As Gokuu drew closer, he glanced at the white tombstones he passed, most having the name, date of death, and battle of death of the Saiyajin. It didn't mention anything about the date of birth, Gokuu guessing that Saiyajins didn't care too much about one's age. The figure began to become clearer, even with the lack of light in the area. Gokuu frowned as he tried to see the face better; he could see it was a man, but his identity was hard to tell. It wasn't as if Gokuu thought he'd recognize him; he just wanted to see the face of a Saiyajin who actually cared to visit a grave.  
  
The Saiyajin began to move and Gokuu stood still as if the man might try to attack him. However, as he saw the flame from the match the person was holding, Gokuu settled for a second. His eyes grew wide as he realized who was now glaring at him.  
  
"Ba…Bardaku!!" Gokuu took a step back in shock and if he didn't know better, a kind of feeling like he was a child caught by his father.  
  
"Kakarotto! What the hell are you doing here??" Bardaku took a step towards him with match in hand.  
  
"I…I…" Gokuu shook his head. Why couldn't he answer him? Then Gokuu suddenly realized what his father was doing there. "Are you visiting my mother's grave?"  
  
Bardaku threw the match to the ground and stomped it out. "Get the hell out of here…" he said in a quiet tone laced with fury.  
  
"Demo, I--"  
  
"Didn't you hear what I said?" Bardaku asked in the same tone before he lost his temper. "Get out or I will kill you!! Don't think for a second I won't hesitate to!!"  
  
Gokuu swallowed and nodded, slowly turning away. Perhaps it was Bardaku's shouting in such a deadly quiet place, or it was the seriousness of his tone that caused Gokuu to do as he was told. Of course, he was still curious; he wouldn't be? However, he wasn't about to fight his own father just to get information about his mother. After all, Bardaku had said that he would tell him if he survived the tournament. He could wait until then, even though the cemetery could give him a clue as to at least what his mother's name was. It was frustrating to not even have that information; what harm could that do? Gokuu thought about this as he exited the graveyard.  
  
"Okashii na…" Gokuu said, taking a final look behind him. He could still see Bardaku standing in the corner of the graveyard and though it were impossible for him to see, he felt that he was glaring murderously at him even then. Gokuu quickly faced forward and dissolved his interest in the matter.  
  
Gokuu mounted on his horse again and headed east for the Vegita castle. "Mou ii," he muttered to himself. He flicked the reins to indicate his horse go faster. "I'm shirking my duties as a knight; Bulma needs me more than I need my information…"  
  
***  
  
A light beeping noise went off and Vegita slowly opened his eyes. He extended a hand to the controls of the regen pool and shut the thing off. The Prince rose and looked down into the pool, examining Bulma, distorted by the water. He frowned and went back to the controls, pressing a button. The water began to drain out of the pool, and in a minute Bulma was the only thing left in the pool. Vegita folded his arms, waiting for Bulma to come back to her senses. At first she leaned against the wall, still partially in a wonderful dream she had been having while in the regen pool. A smile was even upon her face, but the Prince couldn't see it with her mask still covering her mouth. Bulma sighed as began to wake, flashes of her dream passing before her. She had been safe in the dream world--she had had been happy and loved. The man, though always shadowed in her dream, was the one that had given her all these things and much more. Bulma felt at peace once; she didn't have to worry about the heavy task of being royalty. She was free to be selfish enough to worry about herself and indulge in things that mattered to her. The romance she had so long waited for was given to her. And the best part was that she remembered nothing of the Saiyajin kingdom, nor the Saiyajins period…  
  
Bulma saw white--a blurred white at that. She rubbed her eyes and stood shakily on the wet floor. It took her a few minutes to recognize where she was and exactly what reality was again. She yawned as if planning to return to sleep, but wasn't too drowsy to remember that the Saiyajin no Ouji was near. She turned around to meet his impatient gaze, but was too sleepy to care whether he was annoyed or not.  
  
"Enjoy your little nap?" Vegita said, edgily. He received a dull look from Bulma, but he took her ability to stand as an affirmative answer. "Well, I wasted enough of my precious time; hurry up and get out of the pool."  
  
Bulma moved similar to a puppet controlled by strings. Her movements were slow and unnatural, but eventually she was close enough so that Vegita was able to pull her out. Noticing that she at least looked better (no bruise on her forehead), he let out a sigh. Immediately after doing so, he scowled at himself. What in the world was he sighing for? He growled at his unusual behavior.  
  
Had Bulma been perceptive at that moment, she might have noticed his strange actions or remembered the fact that she was almost completely naked. She yawned again and stared at Vegita listlessly, while he glared back at her. He wondered if the regen pool had done more harm than good.  
  
"How weak can you be?" Vegita said, watching her yawn for the third time. As much as he hated to admit it, her actions made her uneasy. "That regen pool was supposed to make you better, but you look as if you're about to fall off your feet."  
  
*I…I just feel tired…* Bulma mouthed. It wasn't as if she remembered that she wanted Vegita to think her voice was still gone; she just wasn't thinking coherently enough to let her voice come with the motions of her mouth. *I'm not in pain any more…*  
  
"Hmph, you better not be, for all I had to do," Vegita muttered. "Saa, let's get you back to your room before that idiot knight of yours begins to act even more foolish than he already has."  
  
Bulma nodded, too tired to argue or comment on anything Vegita had said. He frowned at her dummy-like movements and watched her damp feet slide on the tile floor. As Bulma began to fall forward, Vegita was surprised that the next moment he was holding her in his arms to prevent her from falling flat on her face. Just as he was about to get over from his shock and replace that with anger, he noticed that Bulma had went back to sleep again. He growled at the sleeping woman, but figured that her sleeping was better than her awake and bitching.  
  
Vegita bent down to the floor and attempted to dress Bulma again, although she were still wet from the pool. A towel would have been helpful, but he hadn't really thought of bringing Bulma until the last minute. Knowing that she was likely to catch a cold (being such a weak woman and all), he put her dress back on. He smirked a little at how her the material of her dress clung to her as well did her azure strands of hair to her forehead. If he had first seen her as she was now, he would have never guessed her for a princess. Vegita would have thought she were some kind of slave or something or the sort. He supposed she were somewhat that in the sense that he owned her and she was confined to the room he had given her.  
  
The Prince ceased these useless thoughts and proceeded to carry Bulma out of the room. It was a much different feeling than when he had first carried her, however; she wasn't awake and she wasn't shaking uncontrollably. The only movements Vegita could feel from her were the even rising and falling of her chest as she breathed. He thought that he wasn't paying attention to the fact that he was transporting a rather peaceful Bulma, but obviously that wasn't true when he noticed that he was smiling. Vegita, fed up with his unusual behavior, didn't attempt to rid himself of the smile. He simply attributed the smile to the fact he was glad that now his plan was finally in order once again.  
  
*Those fools at her door…* Vegita thought as he neared Bulma's room. *They might be incompetent enough to let the woman escape from her room, but they are the two that witnessed the most of my strange behavior, and I can't risk any rumors about me, especially since Nappa and Sukuwa are known to associate with each other. That's probably why Tousama knew about the damn woman escaping in the first place.*  
  
"…of Kakarotto?" Vegita heard Pikaru say as he turned into the hall Bulma's room was located.  
  
"I guess it's hard to tell." Sukuwa's voice was heard next. "All I know is he will die a painful death one way or another."  
  
"To think a Saiyajin could be so weak," Pikaru said, finally coming into Vegita's view. The Saiyajin shook his head disgustedly. "It makes me sick."  
  
"I hear ya," Sukuwa said, leaning against the wall. He caught sight of Vegita approaching and stood straight again. "Vegita-Ouji."  
  
Pikaru stood at attention upon the mention of the Prince. To them, and any other Saiyajin for that matter, letting the Prince catch you idling around at your post was a foolish thing, if you valued your well-being. Neither tried to express any kind of wonderment of why the Prince was returning the Capsule Princess wet and passed out. Vegita stopped between them, glaring at their obvious attempts to hide their question about what was going on. For a moment he considered telling them something (not the truth, but something that would satisfy their curiosity), but then he finally decided to tell them nothing. Explaining himself would only make him seem suspicious. Besides, there was little that one could reason he was doing. He doubted they would figure out he had taken her to the regen pool.  
  
Pikaru glanced at Sukuwa as Vegita entered Bulma's room and shut the door behind him. "What do you think of that?" he asked lowly as so not to be heard through the door.  
  
"I think I have an idea," Sukuwa said, tone low as well.  
  
"Nani sore (what's that)?"  
  
"I think Vegita-Ouji was trying to drown the woman."  
  
"Would he really do something like that?" Pikaru said, raising a brow. "He could just as easily snap her in half."  
  
Sukuwa shrugged. "That why I said trying," he said. "He might have wanted to scare the woman so he made her think he was going to drown her until she passed out underwater."  
  
"Ah, sou ka," Pikaru said, grinning. "He must still be getting her back for escaping from her room again." The two shared a brief laugh. "I can't wait to see what he does to Kakarotto…"  
  
***  
  
Vegita let out a sigh as he stood next to Bulma's bed, watching her sleep as if he expected her to wake up at any moment. How much time had he wasted today just because of her? This wasn't how his day was supposed to go; Kakarotto was to arrive, he'd make the woman worry herself to death, and the rest would have been relatively calm. No, the stupid woman had to escape from her room, cause him to throw her against a wall, and then he had to lower himself to actually heal the woman. When Vegita thought of it, she had been the first person he had ever healed. His hand went to his forehead; the Saiyajin no Ouji healing someone. If anyone ever found out that, he'd never hear the end of it. He was relieved that Bulma's voice was still gone because that might have allowed Kakarotto to discover that bit of information. Vegita made a small grin. He didn't have to worry about anything now. The woman couldn't cause him any more trouble, no one was going to find out he had helped someone, and Kakarotto was going to die. And of course, the woman was going to die. Sometimes, he had to admit, anticipating to kill Kakarotto made him forget his true reason for killing her.  
  
"I'll be doing the world a favor by disposing of her…" Vegita said. Bulma shifted in her bed, causing him to wonder if she heard his words. *Hmph, as if I should care or not,* he thought. *She can't do anything to me…well, except make me look like an ass which she has been doing pretty damn well.*  
  
Vegita was just about to turn and leave when he saw Bulma's lips begin to move. For a moment he thought she was waking up, but her lips simply moved over and over again in the same manner. It didn't take Vegita long to understand what she was mouthing in her sleep.  
  
"Son-kun?" The Prince raised a brow, trying to determine who or what that was. "Why does that seems so familiar? Son…"  
  
*…my friend, Son Gokuu…* Vegita recalled Bulma saying.  
  
Vegita narrowed his eyes, becoming increasingly angrier each time he saw her silently call him. Why was she calling for that fool? It wasn't as if he could help her in any way--Kakarotto was the one that needed help. The woman was relatively safe until Kakarotto lost his life. Vegita stepped closer to the left side of the bed where Bulma slept. He was surprised he was easily able to repress his desire to grab her lips and force them to stay closed. Usually his anger would overpower his reason or at least his hand would have moved a little in the direction before he regained his senses. This strange occurrence distracted himself from Bulma's strange actions for only a second; he glared at her hopeless expression while she continued calling for her pathetic knight. Vegita balled up a fist, wanting it to make contact with something--most likely the Bulma's bed. Aware that could wake up the Princess, Vegita quickly turned and let his fist hit the empty air. Immediately his other fist followed the same motion and his breathing was more noticeable.  
  
"For some reason…" Vegita said, not caring that his actions were odd, "I really…really hate Kakarotto right now…"  
  
***  
  
Gokuu finally stopped running in the halls of the castle once he was aware that the other Saiyajins present were staring at him. He slowed, nearly at Bulma's room, taking in a deep breath. Previously he had a great fear that something was terribly wrong with his princess, but now he felt that she wasn't in any danger. It calmed him enough that he didn't act worried, but in the back of his mind he had a feeling that Bulma's safe state wasn't always as it was. Gokuu was determined to find out whether he was paranoid or not as he viewed Pikaru and Sukuwa.  
  
"Masaka!" Pikaru laughed. "When did that happen?"  
  
"Only last week," Sukuwa said, grinning. "You can ask Nichu. He was there."  
  
"I'm surprised someone like him was there. Hell, I'm surprised you were there."  
  
"You're not the only one."  
  
Gokuu blinked at the two laughing about something he had no idea was about. He cleared his throat, noticing they stiffened and seemed a great deal more unfriendly than they had when they were just talking among themselves. Gokuu decided that it was nothing personal, except for the fact that he wasn't a typical Saiyajin. He forced a smile and pointed to the door they were stationed at.  
  
"I just wanted to check up on Bulma," Gokuu said.  
  
"I don't think so, Kakarotto," Sukuwa said, his grin slowly coming back.  
  
"Naze?" Gokuu glanced at Pikaru who too was grinning. "Isn't she in there?"  
  
"Sou," Pikaru said.  
  
"So why can't I go in?"  
  
Sukuwa and Pikaru exchanged glances and then turned their gaze back upon the younger Saiyajin. "Are you sure you want to go in?" Sukuwa asked.  
  
"Yeah, Kakarotto," Pikaru said. "Maybe 'Bulma' doesn't want to be disturbed." He and Sukuwa began to laugh and Gokuu began to get annoyed.  
  
"Listen, will you let me through or not?" Gokuu's frown was enough to make the two stop laughing, but their smirks remained.  
  
"All right," Sukuwa said. He and Pikaru stepped aside. "Koujin ni (As you wish)."  
  
*What's with them?* Gokuu wondered as he opened the door. As he entered he was still pondering this, not realizing who was in the room.  
  
Once Gokuu shut the door behind him the two guards exchanged glances. "You think Ouji-sama will be angry will let that fool in?" Pikaru asked.  
  
"I hope so," Sukuwa said, chuckling. "Besides, we'll just tell him that we let him in to pacify him. The Prince doesn't want the idiot getting upset before he can publicly kill him."  
  
"Sou da." The two would have laughed harder if they weren't worried they would be heard through the door.  
  
Vegita turned around slowly, having been distracted by his anger to notice that the door had opened a minute ago. He almost thought he was seeing things when he saw Gokuu standing next to the door, glaring at it as if he had some kind of problem with it. Vegita shook his head to make sure he wasn't having an illusion in fury. Finding that Gokuu remained in his sight, he concluded that the fool was in fact in the room with him. Needless to say, Vegita's anger only increased.  
  
"Kakarotto!" Vegita said, surprisingly in a low tone. He was too perturbed to worry about his reasons for considering that the woman was asleep.  
  
Gokuu did a sort of jump as he turned. "Vegita!" Gokuu said with little consideration Bulma was sleeping. "What are you doing in here?"  
  
Vegita decided that his increase in his anger for Gokuu then was because he had once again addressed him informally, not because Gokuu didn't bother to also lower his voice. "What the hell do you mean by me??" he demanded. "I own this room! I can come and go as I please!! How dare you question my actions!"  
  
"Demo…" Gokuu said, scratching his head. He blinked and noticed that Bulma was sleeping. "Hmm? Bulma's already asleep…"  
  
"Grr!" Vegita approached him, Gokuu's taller stature adding to the Prince's annoyance. "Temee! I asked you a question! What the hell are you doing here??"  
  
"Boy, I sure get asked that a lot…" Gokuu said, staring up at the ceiling.  
  
It was a real trial for Vegita not to thrash Gokuu to a pulp right then and there. "Oi!!" Vegita grabbed him the collar, forcing them to be eye-level with each other. "If you ignore me one more time, you son of a-- !"  
  
The bed make a slightly loud sound as Bulma turned onto her other side. Vegita glanced over at her, muttering a light curse before glaring back at Gokuu. Gokuu blinked at him as if he had no clue what was going on. Vegita's hands began to shake in repression of his desired actions (killing Gokuu on the spot).  
  
"I'll ask you again--what are you doing here??"  
  
"Checking up on Bulma, of course," Gokuu answered. He raised a brow at Vegita. "Demo, I don't understand why you're in here watching Bulma sleep."  
  
"None of your damn business!" Vegita threw him back, almost making Gokuu fall off his feet. The Prince was slightly disappointed he didn't fall.  
  
"Okashii na…" Gokuu said, putting a hand to his chin as if pondering it. Then he shrugged and smiled. "Well, whatever. I guess I'll stick around for while and make sure Bulma's all right."  
  
"Not only is that unnecessary," Vegita snapped, "but you will do no such thing! I want you out of this room immediately!"  
  
"I'm Bulma's knight--"  
  
"First of all, Kakarotto," Vegita interrupted, unable to stand Gokuu's lack of respect, "you will address me as Ouji-sama, Your Majesty, or the like--is that understood?"  
  
"Ee?" Gokuu blinked as if he wasn't aware he was being so rude. "Uh, sure…"  
  
"And," Vegita went on as if he hadn't stopped, "you will stop addressing this woman as… 'Bulma….'"  
  
"Naze?" Gokuu asked. "Don't you call her 'Bulma?'"  
  
"What I call her is none of your business!" Vegita said. He pointed to the door. "Get out!"  
  
Gokuu's eyes narrowed. "Iie."  
  
Vegita slowly lowered his hand, incredulous that someone (besides the loud-mouthed woman) had dared to refuse his order. "What did you say?" he asked, brows lowering.  
  
"You're giving me a bad feeling about leaving Bulma alone with you," Gokuu said, unaffected by Vegita's steady glare. "In fact, I have a feeling that I've already made a huge mistake leaving Bulma alone in your care as long as I have."  
  
"Kakarotto, are you challenging me?" Vegita said. He might have been intrigued by the fool's brass if it weren't for his continual refusal to follow his orders. "Because if you are…"  
  
"If have to fight you to protect Bulma, I will," Gokuu said, glaring right back at Vegita. "It doesn't matter to me if I have little chance of winning."  
  
"Hmph, you don't," Vegita promised. He folded his arms over his chest to prevent himself from choking Gokuu to death. "You're willing to throw away your life for this pathetic woman. That's pitiful!"  
  
"Bulma's life is worth several more times than my own," Gokuu said.  
  
*I'm going to rip off Kakarotto's head!* he thought. *Why the hell is he so protective of her?? I can't stand it--it drives me insane!*  
  
"I never thought you'd be this crazy, Kakarotto," Vegita said, barely able to talk intelligibly. "However, if you want me to show you how little chance you have of beating me, then I will!"  
  
"Nani?" Gokuu tensed, expecting Vegita to hit him at any moment.  
  
Vegita grinned, remembering that he was the one with all the power. *I don't need to get uptight,* he reminded himself. *It'll be child's play to kill Kakarotto, but I think I'll give him a taste of his death. Then maybe he'll stop calling that woman "Bulma" and claiming he'll protect her. …Protect her…onore…*  
  
"I'll allow you to spar with me tomorrow," Vegita said, his anger slowly fading away and being replaced with smugness. "Not many get the honor of sparing with me."  
  
"Spar?" Gokuu's face lifted from its dead set determination.  
  
"Sou." Vegita smirked. "You're not afraid to spar with me, are you?"  
  
"Masaka!" Gokuu said, grinning. "It sounds fun!"  
  
"Hmph," Vegita said. He chuckled softly to himself. *Good Kakarotto,* he thought. *Just wait until I show you how "fun" it will be.*  
  
Gokuu rubbed the back of his head. *I guess I have to listen to Vegita for now,* he thought. *It's probably not a good idea to fight him here. He's got guards every where and if I get locked up, I can't protect Bulma…*  
  
"I guess I'll just say goodnight to Bul… I mean, the Princess," Gokuu said, more complacently. He walked over to her bed while Vegita watched him with mild surprise.  
  
*I didn't expect that,* Vegita said, staring at Gokuu. *He's done a complete 360 again. Sounds like the rumors I heard about his mother…*  
  
"Night, Your Majesty," Gokuu whispered, smiling at Bulma. "Sleep tight." He pulled the covers closer to her neck and tried not to show wonderment of why her hair was wet. He rubbed her shoulder before he left her bedside and Bulma smiled in her sleep.  
  
*Son-kun…* Bulma mouthed in her sleep again.  
  
*I'll definitely make him pay for that,* Vegita thought as Gokuu walked back toward the door. *I'll make sure he has a permanent scar for touching that woman in that manner! No one touches her but me!*  
  
Gokuu made a short bow. "I guess I'll go to my room now, Vegita…Ouji," he said.  
  
"Hmph, we'll spar bright and early, so be prepared," Vegita growled. He didn't want to seem like he was furious, but Gokuu's actions and comments toward Bulma made him so angry he had little control over it.  
  
"Hai," Gokuu left the room with a smile, while Vegita began to curse him as soon as he was gone.  
  
"Damn Kakarotto--I hate him!" Vegita snarled. "After tomorrow, he'll be dreading that tournament."  
  
Vegita, now exhausted from dealing with the woman all day and finally Kakarotto, decided to get a little rest before he put Kakarotto back into his place. Before he left he glanced back at Bulma and noticed the peaceful smile on her face. Minutes ago she was begging for her stupid knight in her sleep and now it seemed as if she could tell he was there with her even in unconsciousness. Vegita narrowed his eyes and grasped the doorknob as if he intended to rip it off. He vowed that Kakarotto would never comfort Bulma again…or he discover a new horrible way to kill Kakarotto the next time he did.  
  
  
  
--Sorry once again, but the next part is going to take a lot of work on part, so I thought I'd at least get this much out already. Sorry for the third time for those who aren't satisfied... 


	11. Chapter 11

*Author's Notes: Now I can't tell you how much effort I had to put to get this chapter out. I'm really starting to not want to finish this fic, even though it's near its end. Oh, and FYI, once Bulma and Vegita are together, this fic is over. I wanted to do a sequel (that's why there's the whole explosion thing in this chapter), but I might just write it for myself and not post it on fanfiction.net. Anyway, I'm getting a lot of ideas for my other two main fics so I'll probably go back to working on them. Maybe if I get ten reviews for ten different people, I'll stick to my schedule of updating. If not, I'll just get back to writing this fic when I feel like it. Oh, and when Gokuu says "yo" in here, I'm not trying to incorporate some of our slang. If anyone watched the Japanese version of Dragonball Z, Gokuu greets people with "yo" a lot. Well, for those who waited and begged (sorry to make you beg) this chapter is for you. Oh, and if anyone wants me to email then next time I update (if I do), just let me know. Hope you like this chapter!   
  


**Chapter Eleven**   
  
  
  


Gokuu didn't get much sleep the night before he and Vegita were to spar. Half of him was excited to practice with the Saiyajin Prince, having heard that Vegita was an excellent fighter; the only half was worried about Bulma and her situation with Vegita. Enthusiasm and concern didn't mix well, so Gokuu had to get up before the sun had risen. He wasn't sure when Vegita would summon him for the spar session, but he figured that Vegita wouldn't want to do anything before breakfast. For once Gokuu wasn't hungry; he was just edgy. Since he could not rid himself of his excitement, he decided to try to rid himself of his concern for Bulma. As he walked to her room he tried to make a little sense of what he had seen yesterday. There was the fact that Bulma had been urged to escape from her room, had her voice taken away, seemed terrified of Vegita, and for some strange reason was damp while she slept. Gokuu had a good feeling that there was more going on that he hadn't witnessed; he just needed to speak to Bulma about it. However, Gokuu had the distinct feeling that doing so would be difficult after his little encounter with Vegita the previous night. The Capsule knight wasn't completely stupid; he knew that Vegita hated his guts. What exactly caused Vegita to hate Gokuu was something the younger Saiyajin was a bit unclear on. He had his theories, but they would have to be tested before he knew they were the truth. 

Gokuu was surprised to see Pikaru and Sukuwa still standing at Bulma's door. He wondered if they were ever given a break or if they ever needed one. Neither Saiyajin looked tired; each seemed as if they could go on for several more hours. Their eyes immediately went upon Gokuu as he approached and similar frowns appeared on their faces. 

"Chotto, Kakarotto," Pikaru said before Gokuu even reached the door. "There's no way you're getting into the woman's room--Vegita-Ouji's orders." 

"Ee? Naze?" 

Sukuwa smirked and winked to Pikaru. "I don't think Ouji-sama wants you alone with his mate," he said. "He doesn't trust you." 

Gokuu's mouth dropped open noticeably. "Nani?" he said. _Masaka_, he thought, _Vegita can't be jealous of me… Hmm, then again no one here may know that I'm married. That could mean that there's a possibility that Vegita actually does care for Bulma. Demo, it doesn't really seem like it. Or does it?_

"Vegita… where is he?" Gokuu asked, receiving nothing but glares afterwards. He laughed before correcting himself. "Vegita-Ouji, I mean." Sure he was used to calling King Briefs by his title, but there was something about Vegita that made it hard to remember he was royalty. Maybe it was his height; Gokuu wasn't sure. 

"He's meeting with the King," Sukuwa answered begrudgingly. 

"How long will he be doing that?" 

"Saa?" 

Gokuu frowned and folded his arms over his chest. "I guess I have no choice," he said. "I'll wait for him to come." 

"Heh, what makes you think Vegita-Ouji is coming to see the woman this morning?" Pikaru demanded. 

"I have a good feeling he will," Gokuu said. As Pikaru and Sukuwa gave him inquisitive looks, Gokuu stood beside the two at the door and prepared himself to wait for a while. The two guards turned their curious expressions into glowers at him, but Gokuu didn't pay them much mind. His mind was on other things. 

_It would be nice if Vegita actually did have feelings for Bulma_, Gokuu thought. _That way I wouldn't have to worry about her being in his care. Demo, if he's just trying to get rid of her like some of the other knights suggested… I won't hesitate to get Bulma out of here. Maybe I can find a way to make his true feelings come out…_   
  
  
  
******** 

"Are you positive you want to eliminate the Capsule Princess?" 

"Mochiron!" Vegita glared at the moot look upon his father's face. 

"After the tournament?" 

"Yes, at that time she'll be at the pinnacle of her grief." 

Vegita-Ou folded his hands together and veiled a smile at his scowling son. _You might be a bit disappointed come the day of the tournament, Ouji…_he thought. "So, you intend to spar with Kakarotto this morning?" 

Vegita raised a brow. "How did you know that?" he said. It had only been about five hours or so since he had told Kakarotto that. The Prince became even more suspicious when his father smirked at him. 

"I know many things, Ouji," King Vegita said. 

"Hmph," Vegita snorted. "Anyway, I want to see if Kakarotto is at least decent at fighting." 

"Try not to batter the little fool up too much," his father said. "We want the tournament to be a little entertaining." 

Vegita shared his father's smirk. "I'll try." For a second a frown passed over his face in memory of why he had truly decided to spar with Gokuu in the first place. He'd teach the Capsule Saiyajin a thing or two. 

"Nani? What's with that frown?" 

_He never misses anything!_ Vegita thought, baring his teeth. "It's nothing of your concern," he snapped. "Now, are we quite finished with this useless meeting?" 

"Iie," Vegita said. He only laughed long enough to make Vegita angry, but not angry enough to start mouthing off. "We still need to discuss the next kingdoms the Saiyajin army is to conquer within the next month. We have gained a bit more technology since we've added the Capsule Kingdom to our empire, so…" 

Vegita settled himself into one of his obligatory attempts at attention and tried not to explode with impatience. Yes, he was always interested in an upcoming battle, but all he needed to know was when and where to fight. The other details--what could be gained from the kingdom, what a Saiyajin needed to be "careful" about when traveling to the place, and other such nonsense--was a waste of time to the Saiyajin no Ouji. However, he did not want to openly show his disinterest and prolong his meeting with his father. The sooner he beat some sense into Kakarotto, the better.   
  
  
  
******** 

Bulma was sure that this morning was the first morning she had woken up peacefully since she had arrived in Vegita. She had dreamed again, but this time it was even better than the short dream she had while in the regen pool. Gokuu had taken her back to Capsule and assured her that she would never have to see another Saiyajin (save himself) again. Bulma was able to see her mother and father again, her friends, and have the security that her life wasn't in danger. Of course, when had to face the harsh reality that she was still in Vegita and still worried about its prince killing her, but she had to admit she felt really good at the moment. She knew that Gokuu was with her now and had been with her at some point last night. Bulma, despite her terrible predicament was in a good mood. It would stay with her until she had to face Vegita once again, at least. 

Bulma rose from her bed and stretched. "I'm certain that he'll want to tell me how he's going to kill Gokuu," she sighed as if it were the most tedious thing ever. Yes, it still bothered her, but at the same time she was getting a little tired of being threatened by the same thing over and over again. Couldn't Vegita come up with something else? She swore he had an one-track mind. 

"Achoo!" Bulma sniffled and rubbed a finger under her nose. She didn't feel very cold, but her clothes were still damp. "Guess I better change…" 

Bulma was reminded when she began digging through of her trunks of clothes that she had been seized by His Shortness. That also reminded her of how much she was like a prisoner, if not totally one. Bulma frowned a little and decided that if she was going to be in such a position, she was going to dress like it. When she had been aiding her country in battle, she had gotten quite a many items of casual clothing. It had been helpful, during periods where she could have been targeted, to blend in with the rest of the Capsule population. At first Bulma had felt uncomfortable wearing something that made her at least appear unimportant, but she soon grew to like it and wore her informal outfits the majority of the time she decided to invent something or experiment with something. 

"Ah, here we go," Bulma said, pulling out a simple shirt and a pair of pants. "Hmm, last time I wore this I invented a reclining chair. Brings back memories…" 

Bulma, though she doubted that Sukuwa or Pikaru would disturb her this early, dressed in the spacious closet. She wouldn't take the risk of any unexpected surprises. When she finished, she lied back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She muttered something about being bored, but then a smile came to her face. At least she was talking again. Bulma had missed the sound of her voice; it made her feel like she had at least a little power left. 

"Demo, what good will having my voice back do?" Bulma said. She let out a breath and turned onto her stomach. "Tomorrow's the day of the tournament…the day Gokuu and I are supposed to die. How comforting." Bulma smirked and closed her eyes. _Truth be told, I'm not too worried about dying_, she thought. _Son-kun's the one that has so much to live for, or, rather, has people to live for. How could I let Chichi become a widow and Gohan grow up fatherless? Yes, I know people will be sad I pass away, but it's not like I'm married or have children. Even if I lived here my whole life, it wouldn't be that much of difference; I'd never be allowed to visit Capsule--it'd be as if I were dead. The only way for my condition to change is if Vegita changes his mind_. 

"Yeah, right," Bulma scoffed. She opened her eyes again. "I suppose somehow I have to help Gokuu. However, impossible that seems." _All my plans to get just some fresh air have backfired on me_, she thought. _ And talking to Vegita will only get him angry…something I'm not willing to risk again, or will just be useless. Besides, I don't want to talk to him again. I barely want to look at him after he…_

Bulma's thoughts were on her brutal attack yesterday. She tried to restrain her shivering, but it was impossible. Bulma had known Vegita was scary from the beginning with his extremely unpleasant expression and tendency to solve his problems by violence (or scare tactics), but being thrown against the wall had really proven to her just how terrifying he could be. She knew she would remember that for the rest of her life…as short as it was gong to be unless she could do something about it. 

Bulma felt her forehead, remembering when she had felt an inflammation upon it. This time, however, it felt as it had before. She blinked and remembered about the regen pool. It wasn't just amazing for the healing capabilities it had performed, but for the advances in technology it presented. It even surpassed many of the things that were invented in Capsule. That made it intriguing for two reasons. 

As a scientist herself, Bulma wondered how it was able to do the things it did. If only she wasn't held in her room like a prisoner; she would have liked to talked to someone who had made the machine, or at least been able to examine its mechanics. Therapeutic methods were always handy, especially in such a war-prone period as Bulma lived in. She had dedicated much of her time to inventing medicines that would help those wounded and sick, but she had never been able to make anything like the regen tank. Bulma doubted that if she had spent years in the medical technology field that she would have ever came up with something that exceeded the regen pool's facilities. How ironic that it was in a kingdom where it would be used to heal those who would harm far more than the pool ever healed. Bulma regretted that she was unable to learn something from the amazing device. 

The second reason it intrigued Bulma so was because her body felt somewhat healthier than it had even before Vegita had assaulted it. She didn't think that Vegita would put her in the pool if he wasn't sure what it would do (yet she doubted he himself had ever used it), so it was surprising that Vegita had cured her so completely. He didn't have to do that much; it would have been sufficient to let her merely appear all right and never let Bulma ever explain to Gokuu what had happened to her. Bulma knew he was capable of that, and she was sure he wanted her to suffer, or at least she thought she was sure of that. The whole regen pool thing presented a mystery. Why didn't Vegita just take the chance that Gokuu would be suspicious of her injuries? If Gokuu did indeed confront him and "force" Vegita to kill him, the effect would be the same upon her. Her friend would be dead and she would have no hope left of ever being safe again. Yet, Vegita went to a great length to make sure she was okay. If Bulma didn't know any better she would have thought he felt guilty. Of course, she knew he couldn't have been because if that made him regretful, surely killing her friend would make the Prince reluctant. No, Vegita was all gung ho about it. No regrets, no restraints, no impediments. 

"Guess I'll never figure out Vegita," Bulma said. "Maybe I should have just married Yamcha… I'm sure once we married he wouldn't be so fickle and unreliable. At any rate, I'd be able to have a future…grow old…" At that point, Bulma found herself imagining several things she could have done with her life had things turned out better.   
  
  
  
******** 

Vegita cracked his neck a few times as he went down the hall. His father had talked much longer than he would have liked, and it had been a real trial to keep his appearance of interest. He had almost fallen asleep toward the end, but thinking of the irritating Kakarotto had kept him from doing so. Just thinking of the younger Saiyajin made Vegita's blood boil. Of course, he had to be careful that he didn't think of the little trip Kakarotto had made to Bulma's room last night; when Vegita thought of that, it was hard for him not to scowl. It was also hard for him not to scowl when he saw Gokuu waiting at Bulma's door with Pikaru and Sukuwa. The Prince stopped before he had reached the door and wondered if he was seeing things. It not only outraged him, but boggled his mind. Vegita never knew someone who concerned himself so much with one person. There was no way Vegita could tolerate Kakarotto's attachment to Bulma; he just couldn't. 

Pikaru and Sukuwa acted as usual; they stood at attention and saluted at Vegita when they were aware of his presence. Gokuu merely stared at Vegita as if surprised he was there and then waved to him as if he were a commoner. Vegita didn't know if Kakarotto did that on purpose, but if he had any desire to make him angry, it was working like a charm. 

"Ohayou!" Gokuu said, displaying his genial smile. 

"Temee…you're here _again_??" Vegita was just below shouting like a maniac which discomforted the two Saiyajin guards, but did nothing for Gokuu. Vegita was met with a blank look of a lack of comprehension. 

"Mochiron (Of course)," Gokuu said. He stretched, having been waiting for Vegita for about an hour. "By the way, how come you won't let me see Bulma while you were away?" 

"You have no business in my ma--the woman's room, that's all!" Vegita would have punched himself in the face had there been no one else there. He liked to think that there was a reason that he almost referred to Bulma in that manner, but he didn't have time to ponder it at the moment. 

"Why not? I'm her knight and friend. I'm pretty sure Bulma gets lonely being cooped up in that room all day." Gokuu shook his head. "Frankly, I don't know how she stands it. I don't blame her for trying to run away." 

_That's it_! Vegita thought. He threw down his hand. "Pikaru and Sukuwa!" he ordered. The two jumped at his sudden focus upon them. "I want the both of you to get the woman's breakfast right now!" 

"H…Hai, Vegita-Ouji!" Sukuwa and Pikaru were more curious about this than anything else Vegita had been doing and saying lately, but they followed Vegita's orders without any hesitation. Vegita made sure his guards were gone before he stepped up to Gokuu. 

"Sate (Now then)," Vegita said, scowling up at Gokuu. The innocent look on the other Saiyajin's face only made him angrier. "I want to know what your true intentions are right now!" 

Gokuu blinked at Vegita, having trouble understanding what the Prince was talking about and why he was glaring at him. Vegita could only tolerate about thirty seconds of Gokuu's ignorance before he grabbed Gokuu by the collar and brought him to be eye level with him. It was hard for Vegita not to ram his forehead into Gokuu's; only thinking that even that action wouldn't make Gokuu any brighter kept him from doing so. 

"Fuzakeru na, Kakarotto!!" Even Gokuu had to cringe a bit when the Prince was yelling right in his face. "You're so damn protective of the woman--it can't just be your duty as a knight! Plus the woman…she acts as if you…as if you… Well, anyway she just likes you more than I can tolerate!" 

Gokuu only gasped lightly, to prevent himself from appearing too shocked. _Maybe he does like Bulma_, he thought. _There's no way someone who simply wants to kill her would worry so much about the relationship between Bulma and me. Hmm, I think I know of a way to see if he really does care about Bulma. Demo, I better not make him mad right now_. 

"What are you talking about?" Gokuu laughed. He shook his hand at the perturbed Prince. "I'm only acting as her knight, that's all. I don't have any other purposes besides protecting her and making sure Capsule still has its Princess. Besides, Chichi told me a long time ago that she doesn't like me getting too involved with Bulma." 

Vegita loosened his grip on Gokuu's collar. "Chichi?" he asked, brow raised. 

"That's my wife. Has been for about five years." 

Now it was Vegita's turn to express shock. Of all the things he imagined that Kakarotto was, he never considered that he would be married. He felt a bit sorry for the woman who actually had to call him her husband; he could just see how wearing that would be. 

"Hmph," Vegita said, withdrawing his hand. "Whatever." He turned his back to Gokuu, Vegita somehow thinking that his face was red. He hoped it wasn't because he would never be able to explain why it was or why he felt extremely stupid at the moment. _Why did I just ask him that_? he wondered. _Who cares what's going on between them… But for some reason I feel at ease now. Naze da (Why is that)?_

Gokuu held back a laugh, sensing Vegita was a embarrassed at the moment. "Well, can I go in to see Bulma now?" he asked. A bead of sweat formed at the side of his forehead when Vegita turned and glared at him in the same way as if he asked why the Prince was so short. _I wonder if he really believes what I just told him…_Gokuu thought. _He looks as though he's just now changed his mind_. 

"I just wanna make sure she's all right before we go spar," Gokuu added after the uncomfortable silent glower he had received. 

_Oh, yes, the spar_, Vegita remembered, calming a degree. Somehow the whole Gokuu visiting Bulma thing had made him completely forget about that. _I'm still gonna make Kakarotto wish he were less protective of his Princess and more mindful of me_. 

"Fine," Vegita said. He went into Bulma's room first, ignoring the relief he experienced when the Princess sat straight in her bed as she had before. He decided that it was merely a relief to see her back to her "old self" so that his plan would work as he wanted it to. 

Bulma was tense, expecting her visitor to only be the Prince, but her face brightened as Gokuu entered and waved at her with his hopelessly cheerful expression. "Yo, Bulma!" he said without any concern that Vegita had told him the previous night to not address her so informally. "How ya doin'?" Bulma smiled at him as if he were the greatest thing her eyes had ever seen. 

Vegita made a low growl beside Gokuu, but didn't trust himself enough to say something. _That fool Kakarotto has absolutely no regard for royalty whatsoever_! he thought. _How dare he ignore my orders and talk her as if they were old friends?? Greeting someone, especially one above their class, with "yo…" Who the hell does he think he is??_

Bulma blinked as she noticed that the Saiyajin no Ouji was about the direct opposite of what Gokuu was: utter rage. She wondered why Vegita looked like he was a second away from killing Gokuu and all her friend had done was ask her how she was doing. It scared her because when Vegita had first entered, he looked as pompous and choleric as usual, but now Bulma wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly grabbed Gokuu and tried to rip off his head. What in the world would make Vegita hate Gokuu so much? Bulma doubted it was merely because he wanted to kill Gokuu to make her suffer. 

"Well," Vegita said, surprising both Gokuu and Bulma who didn't expect him to say anything, "you've seen that the woman is okay, Kakarotto. Now get the hell out." 

_Iie…I don't Son-kun to leave me alone with him again_…Bulma thought, gripping the sheets on her bed tightly. 

"Demo, Vegita--" Gokuu began. 

The door burst open before Gokuu could finish, distracting all persons in the room. A Saiyajin soldier promptly came in after the door was so abruptly opened and rushed over to Vegita. He saluted quickly to his Prince just before Vegita was able to get over the disbelief that one of his men had dared to do something as the soldier had done. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing, barging into this room like this??" Vegita demanded. 

"My apologies, Ouji-sama," the soldier said. He bowed and then stepped closer to Vegita to begin whispering something to him. 

Gokuu and Bulma stared at the two Saiyajins, wondering what the big secret was. They both watched Vegita's face for a sign of what the soldier was telling him. Vegita first looked shocked, then murderous, and finally grave, but still angry. Bulma guessed that whatever it was, it was something that Vegita never expected would have happened. 

"How the hell did all this happen??" Vegita asked the soldier. Bulma smiled a little as he confirmed her theory. 

"I don't know, Your Majesty," the soldier said. 

Vegita cursed and glanced at Bulma and Gokuu for a second before looking back at the soldier. "Have you seen Sukuwa and Pikaru?" 

"Iie. They must have been sent out with some others. I'm sorry, Ouji-sama, but I must go as well. If you'll excuse me." The soldier left in much the same manner he had entered. Gokuu watched him go, scratching his head. 

"Chikusho…" Vegita said, glaring at Gokuu now. Gokuu met him with curious eyes. _Kuso_…Vegita thought. _I don't have much choice but to leave the woman in Kakarotto's care. With something as strange as this occurring, it isn't impossible that something could be done to the castle as well… However, I don't like leaving the woman alone with Kakarotto! I don't trust him! Still…I have no other option…_

"Listen up, Kakarotto," Vegita said, pointing at him as if planning to stab him with his index finger, "I have to leave upon urgent business, so I'm giving you the task of watching over the woman until I get back." When Gokuu smiled, he went closer to the other Saiyajin so that his finger was touching where Vegita guessed Gokuu's heart would be. "Don't take this lightly, Kakarotto; if you let the woman leave this room, even if she manages to trick you, I swear I will kill you. She is to stay here and you are not to leave unless Sukuwa and/or Pikaru come back, am I clear??" 

Gokuu gave him an "okay" sign. "No problem, Vegita…Ouji…" He once again laughed off his near mess-up. "I protect Bulma all the time; it'll be no trouble at all." 

Vegita stared at him for a moment with a look that suggested that the Prince meant every word he said. Gokuu nodded and made a sloppy salute to "his" Prince and Vegita reluctantly turned away from him. Vegita was now in Bulma's direction and gave her an indication that he didn't want any funny business while he was gone. 

"Don't even try something foolish while I'm away," Vegita said, almost forgetting Gokuu was in the room. "I _will_ be back soon; you can count on it." Bulma nodded, a little more afraid of his strange actions than she was curious, if only to placate him until he decided to leave. 

"Kakarotto, I haven't forgotten our business today either," Vegita said as he walked to the door. "We will get to that as soon as I get back." 

"Hai," Gokuu said, unable to keep himself from smiling at that. He held the smile until Vegita left the room and he heard his retreating steps. 

Gokuu stretched again as if he had been standing against a rigid wall for several hours. "Boy…Vegita is so uptight," he said. He grimaced and let out a sigh. "Can't he ever smile just once?" 

"You don't need to tell me." 

Gokuu stumbled backwards onto the floor. He looked upside at his friend on the bed. "You…you can talk again??" 

"Mochiron," Bulma said, smiling at his surprise. She waited for him to get back to his feet before continuing. "I just didn't want Vegita to know that. I was hoping it would keep him from talking too much to me…" She lost her smile and stared down at her bed. 

Gokuu frowned and approached her bed. "Bulma, what happened?" he said. He stopped her before she tried to tell him a lie. "I can tell something happened by the expression on your face. Vegita…aitsu (that guy)…what did he do to you?" 

Bulma sighed. "Gokuu, you never know that so much can happen in two days…" she said. "Take a seat and I'll try to sum it up for you." Gokuu did as he was told, folding his arms over his chest in preparation to listen to something he wasn't going to like. 

It didn't take Bulma very long to tell Gokuu all the details of her stay at Vegita. First, she told him of how he held her outside of a window and threatened to let her go, even letting her go a little, so she wouldn't think he was joking. She could tell that didn't make Gokuu very happy, but he was calm enough to let her go on. Second, she told him of how she first "escaped" from her room by using the broken window to make Pikaru and Sukuwa think she had escaped. Gokuu had laughed until he heard the part of about Vegita wanting to kill her. That kept him displeased for only a second; when he heard about the little bath scene, he really began to laugh. Bulma didn't think it was funny, but it was hard for her to get angry at Gokuu when she hadn't heard such a friendly laugh in such a long time. It was a comfort even though the topic wasn't that light-hearted. Bulma continued and told him about expecting him to kill her while she slept, but woke up without a scratch. Gokuu questioned that, but Bulma didn't have an answer to why she have lived. Instead, Bulma told him of the photo album incident which led to her meeting Radditsu and Vegita declaring that he was going to kill Gokuu. Of course, she had to add in the part about Vegita throwing her upon the floor and taking away her voice. That only fazed Gokuu a little, but when she told him more of the details of her second "escape" he was amused once more. However, Gokuu had not a shred of enjoyment when Bulma told him of her experience of being thrown against a wall and knocked unconscious. 

"Yurusu nai (Unforgivable)!" Gokuu stood up and held up his fists as if he was going to find Vegita and make him pay for that right way. "I cannot forgive nor believe he did that to you!" Gokuu stayed in a furious state that was even starting to make Bulma afraid, until he looked at her and gradually displayed wonder. "Demo…you look great, Bulma… Doushite?" 

"That's the other part I didn't tell you yet," Bulma said. She pointed to her forehead. "I thought I was going to at least have a huge bruise on my head, but Vegita decided to take me to this room that had this thing called a 'regen pool.'" 

"Regen pool?" Gokuu blinked and lower his arms. 

"It looks like a normal pool, but once you're in it, it heals whatever wounds you have. In fact, I think it makes you a big stronger than you were before you were injured. It's truly amazing." 

"Vegita…healed you?" Gokuu put a hand to his chin. "Why would he throw you against a wall and then decide to heal you?" 

"I'm guessing that he knew that he couldn't hide my injuries that well and had to make sure I looked well enough to fool you," Bulma said. She let out a breath. "When I woke up Vegita came in to check on me and found out I couldn't even move without being in pain. That's when he decided that he'd take me to the regen tank." 

"Hmm…" Gokuu still found that a little hard to accept. _I might have believed that if I didn't see how much Vegita is bothered by the idea of me trying to be more than Bulma's knight_, he thought. _I'd have to say that he healed her because he felt bad for what he did. That's gotta be it…or at least I have the feeling that's the reason…_

"What are you thinking, Son-kun?" Bulma asked after a few minutes of silence. 

"Has Vegita ever told you that he hates you?" 

"Ee?" Bulma looked at him sideways. "Well, no, but you have to hate someone if you want to kill them and one of their best friends." 

"I dunno, Bulma," Gokuu said. He began walking as if he was a detective who was about to solve a great mystery. "Even though Vegita threw you against a wall like he did, he still took the time to get you healed." 

"I told you why, though," Bulma said, a bit annoyed at Gokuu's strange thoughts. "He didn't want you to get upset and force him to kill you before tomorrow. It's very simple." 

Gokuu shook his head. "No, I don't think it's as simple as that," he said. He stopped moving and looked at the boarded up window. "Demo, I have plan to make Vegita show some his true self. I think once I go through with this, we'll both know whether or not Vegita cares about you." 

"Son-kun, take a look around you!" Bulma said, sliding off her bed. "He's has me in this room like a prisoner! He took away all my things save my clothes, and to him, I'm not a princess--I'm just some woman that he owns!" 

"Wakatta yo." Gokuu smiled and motioned her over with his finger. When she stood next to him, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Bulma, just let me just finish my plan before you make a final conclusion." 

"What is your plan?" Bulma asked, brows lowering. "Son-kun, don't do anything to make Vegita angry. I can tell you first-hand what he can do to you." 

"Daijoubu," Gokuu said. He smiled as if he knew everything that would happen. "I'm only going to make Vegita think that I have the same intention as he does." 

"Huh?" Bulma stared at him questionably, but Gokuu only continued to smile. She guessed she would have to wait before she was given an answer to what Gokuu was really up to.   
  
  
  
******** 

Vegita didn't know what to make of his little investigation of one of the villages about three miles from the castle. There had been some explosions, but there was no trace of anyone attacking the village; a couple of houses had just exploded for no reason any Saiyajin could tell. It curious and might have been frightening if Saiyajins frightened easily. The Saiyajins who had been in the area of the explosions were either badly injured or killed. Much of the village's land had been ruined, and several fires had to be put out. A few were still burning when Vegita arrived at the scene. His father had given him complete authority over the matter and Nappa had been with him to deliberate what should be done about the whole thing. Vegita would have thought he wouldn't concern himself too much with the whole explosion, but he was surprised about how much it mattered to him. He took a great deal of time determining how much damage had been done and how badly his people were harmed from the explosion. Vegita, for once, was felt his castle was at risk. 

"Vegita-sama, what do you make of all of this?" Nappa asked. He glared at the ring of Saiyajins, mostly from other villages, that had gathered around the area. 

Vegita finished surveying the crater that had been made. "I would have said it was a bomb," he said, dusting off his hands, "but there would have to be someone present to light it. Bombs can't go off by themselves." 

"Sou," Nappa agreed. "Someone must be trying to scare us Saiyajins. It would be hard to figure out exactly who." 

"Hmph, doesn't matter who the hell it is," Vegita said. "Nothing like this will ever happen again, especially so close to the castle. I want anyone who is an outsider of the Saiyajin kingdom questioned and a band on any outsiders entering the kingdom from now on except someone who can figure out exactly what made this explosion." 

Nappa grinned a little. "Perhaps someone from Capsule?" he asked. 

Upon the mention of Capsule, Vegita thought of Bulma left alone with Gokuu. "Doesn't matter where," he snapped. "As long as the person can figure out something. If they can't, let them know that there will be severe punishments for wasting my time. Is that understood?" 

"Hai, Vegita-sama," Nappa said. He noticed the Prince was beginning to leave. "You're leaving now, Your Majesty?" 

"I have other business that I need to take care of," Vegita said. He ignored the many Saiyajins saluting and bowing at him as he passed. 

"Naru hodo (I see)," Nappa said, though he was sure Vegita couldn't hear him. "Guess the Prince's worried about his mate." He laughed to himself before heading out to get Vegita's orders done. 

Among the crowd of Saiyajins that Vegita passed were Radditsu and Bardaku. They had been there a while, living in the second closest village to the one that had been attacked. "Do you think this will happen somewhere else?" Radditsu asked, glancing at his father. 

"Most likely," Bardaku said. He folded his arms over his chest and deepened his glare at the craters. "There's no way this was an accident; someone wants to challenge us. You can expect a war to break out soon." 

Radditsu cracked his knuckles. "That suits me just fine," Radditsu said, grinning. "It's been a while since we've been in a full-scale war." 

"Don't get too excited about it, Radditsu." 

"Naze?" His son looked at him as if he were crazy. "Don't tell me you're not excited about the prospect of fighting." 

"This enemy obviously has some new technology that were not used to," Bardaku said. He gazed at his son, but didn't lighten his expression. "Saiyajins were killed in that explosion and most Saiyajins can withstand even an explosion from a regular bomb. If this is just a warning, what else could this enemy use against us?" 

Radditsu frowned. "I…I never thought of that…" he muttered. "It's not as if I wouldn't still want to fight." 

"You hardly ever think," Bardaku said. He began to walk away to explore something else. 

"Oi, Bardaku!" Radditsu called after him. He snorted and folded his arms much in the same manner his father did. "Sometimes he can be as annoying as his mate used to be…"   
  
  
  
******** 

Vegita was pleased to find that the irritating Kakarotto was not with Bulma by the time he had arrived back at the castle. Sukuwa and Pikaru had returned to their posts and given the woman something to eat. He would have checked on the woman before he left, but his guards had assured him that nothing seemed to be wrong with her when they had gotten back and Pikaru had told Kakarotto to wait for him in Vegita's sparring room. That was enough for Vegita to temporarily forget about Bulma and concentrate on Kakarotto. He hadn't taken a break to eat all day, but he felt energized by the prospect of beating up someone; he had a great deal of frustration to deal with. 

Gokuu had too eaten little all day (except for when he had eaten some of Bulma's breakfast before Pikaru and Sukuwa had kicked him out of her room), but was pumped up about the sparring match as well. He was amazed at the space that was reserved for Vegita's private sparring area; he doubted he had been in such a large room outside of the Capsule Castle. Gokuu was also interested in the collection of swords that was near the middle of one of the walls. Several of them were unlike anything Gokuu had ever seen before. He wasn't surprised the Saiyajin kingdom had such weaponry, but he just never imagined that they would have so many different swords. Gokuu was tempted to take one from the stand, but he wasn't sure if he was allowed to do so. No one else was around, but he had the feeling Vegita would be there momentarily. Soon Gokuu grew tired of waiting and decided he would put it back when he heard Vegita coming in. The one he selected had one of the straightest blades he had ever seen and what seemed like a perfect point. It was a little heavier than what Gokuu was used to fighting with, but not too heavy that he couldn't swing it easily. Sunlight from the windows high above made the metal glint and brought more attention to its sharp edge. Gokuu didn't know what it was, but he could resist the urge to rub his thumb along it sharp edge. He did so slowly, of course, yet he found that it still cut his skin. 

"Suge…" Gokuu said, sucking his cut until the blood stopped flowing. He smiled and slashed at the air a few more times. "There's so many amazing things about this kingdom." 

"Sou da, Kakarotto." 

Gokuu whirled behind him, nearly dropping the sword at the sight of Vegita. "When…when did you get in here?" he wondered. He thought he had good hearing, but Vegita had came in without a sound obviously. 

Vegita laughed a little and stepped into the huge white square in the middle of the floor. "I'd like to give you a little credit, Kakarotto," he said, "but it seems like you might even fail at meeting my low expectations." 

"Nani?" Gokuu almost scratched his head with the sword before he stopped himself and set it back on the stand. He laughed and shrugged. 

_It's been a while since I've found someone to spar with me_, Vegita thought, walking toward Gokuu. _I might as well take advantage of the situation_. 

"Why don't we use weapons in this little match?" Vegita suggested. "Since we both know it's not a real fight, there shouldn't be any harm in that." 

Gokuu raised a brow. "Hontou?" It was the first time someone had suggested that to him; usually he would spar with practice swords with no points or sharp edges. He doubted any of the swords he was near were like that. 

"Sure," Vegita said. He extended his hand to the stand where all the swords were at. "Pick any sword you like, unless you have a problem with fighting with a sword." 

"I…ie…" Gokuu said. He examined the swords for a minute before taking out one that looked similar to one he was experienced with using. The blade was long and not too heavy nor wide. He moved it through the air before deciding it was the one he wanted. Gokuu then turned and smiled at Vegita. 

Vegita smiled as well, but of course it was a cruel smile. The Prince glanced at the number of swords and took one seemingly without much care of his choice. Gokuu interpreted it as this, yet Vegita knew better. He wanted to make sure that his fellow Saiyajin didn't leave the room with just a little nick. 

Gokuu watched Vegita carefully, noticing how content he seemed to be now. The Prince was certainly in better spirits than he was when he had been yelling in his face about an hour and a half ago. Gokuu was a bit reluctant to change his mood, especially when he was aware Vegita was an excellent fighter, but he thought it was important to know whether or not Bulma was one of Vegita's main concern (other than making her life miserable). If she wasn't, Gokuu needed to make some kind of plan to save Bulma; if so, he needed to find a way to improve Bulma's situation a little before he decided to go back home. Gokuu certainly couldn't go back to Capsule the way things currently were. 

_Okay, Gokuu_, Gokuu thought, _it's time to make one of the best performances of your life… Hopefully it will convince Vegita…and not do me too much more harm than good_. 

Vegita was twirling around his sword in his hand, staring at Gokuu as though he were an animal he were about to shoot any moment. "I hope that you'll be able to put up a decent fight, Kakarotto," he said. "We wouldn't want to waste both of our times." 

Gokuu smirked and narrowed his eyes at Vegita. "Sou desu ne, Vegita-Ouji," he said. He snickered afterwards. 

Vegita lost his smile and stared at Gokuu as if he were a completely different person. _Nani_? he thought. _If I didn't know any better I'd say that Kakarotto has changed a bit just now_… "Something funny, Kakarotto?" 

"Aa," Gokuu said. He leaned on his sword and stared at Vegita with cunning eyes, something which was not missed by the Prince. "I just thought it was about time I revealed my true plan to you." 

"Nan da?" Vegita said, taken back by the strange manner the other Saiyajin was acting. "What the hell are you talking about?" 

Gokuu shook his head. "Come on, Ouji-sama," he said, doing his best to sound like his father. _I hope I'm doing an accurate imitation_, he thought. "Didn't you think it was strange that a Saiyajin could live somewhere for almost their entire life and not realize who he truly was?" 

For a strange reason Vegita was nervous. _Masaka_, he thought. _Could this fool have been deceiving me? Bakana (Impossible)! He is that stupid woman's knight_! 

"I realized who I was a long time ago," Gokuu lied. It was difficult for him not to laugh in his friendly manner; he had to make sure he sounded like a regular Saiyajin. "That's when I decided that I would go through with my plan." 

"What plan?" Vegita asked. He knew that something about Gokuu's sudden change in manner was fishy, but he was suspicious of Gokuu, so he was willing to buy what Gokuu had to say. 

"I'm only telling you this because it seems that you have the same intent that I do," Gokuu said. He grinned at Vegita's frown of question. "My goal is also to get rid of the Capsule Princess." 

"_Nani_??" Vegita took a step back as if Gokuu were about to charge at him. _What the hell is he saying_?? he thought. _He can't just be saying this to get me off-guard_. 

"Kakarotto, who the hell do you think you're kidding?" Vegita said. He pointed his sword at Gokuu. "You've said countless times that your job was to protect the woman!" 

"That was an act," Gokuu said. He closed his eyes and laughed in a sinister (and very Saiyajin-like) tone. "I figured if I made everyone believe I was the protector of Capsule, it would be easier to get my hands on the kingdom. I hadn't ever thought the Saiyajin kingdom would find me before I took over Capsule, but sometimes things just happen." 

Vegita shook his head and took the step forward that he had taken back. "You're saying that for all these years you've just been pretending to serve Capsule so that you can eventually kill the ruling family and rule the kingdom yourself?" he asked. 

"Sou da." Gokuu opened his eyes again and stared back at his incredulous Prince with a steady gaze. "A Saiyajin can't ignore his blood; it's too powerful to be made weak simply by a different background. However, since the Capsule Kingdom has now become part of the Saiyajin Empire, I suppose my plans change a little." 

"Oh, really?" Vegita said, staring at Gokuu as if he were crazy. "What are your plans now?" 

"I want to ask for your permission to personally strengthen the hold of the Saiyajin Empire upon Capsule," Gokuu said. "I'll still get rid of the ruling family, including the Princess, but it won't be as big as a mess as it would have been if another Saiyajin had tried to do so. Capsule thinks of me as its hero, not to mention the Princess. She probably would never imagine I would kill her until I actually did so. After all, I've gained her trust by saving her life countless times." 

"Ba…bakana!" Vegita said. The sword unconsciously fell out of his hand. "I can't believe that you're really trying to kill the woman!" 

"Uso ja nai yo (It's not a lie)," Gokuu said. "Vegita-Ouji, don't bother to dirty your hands by killing the woman yourself. I can get rid of her at any moment you please." 

Vegita didn't respond, unable to speak. He simply stared at Gokuu in disbelief. Vegita had never understood why Gokuu was so adamant about trying to protect Bulma, but he couldn't understand how Gokuu could have been smart enough to fool so many people, including himself. If all he said were true, Gokuu was truly one of the smartest Saiyajin he had came across. He didn't know many Saiyajins that would pass an opportunity to rule over their own land, especially if they could do so without the Saiyajin kingdom finding out. It was a perfect plan; Vegita had already written Kakarotto down as dead, so he would have been completely free to rule over Capsule. 

"So, Vegita-Ouji," Gokuu said, interrupting Vegita's thoughts, "do I have your permission to take care of the Princess? I'm sure it will make things much easier for you." 

Vegita didn't know why, but he was absolutely furious with Gokuu. "Are you out of your mind??" he said. He picked up his sword again and glared at Gokuu. "Kakarotto, I will give you permission to do no such thing! I had a feeling there was something off about you, but I never imagined it was something like this… You won't lay hand on that woman or I will kill you!" 

Gokuu mentally laughed. _Just as I thought_, he thought. _Vegita is getting really mad about this. If his goal was truly to just get rid of Bulma, he would let me get rid of her_. 

"What's the difference whether or not you're the one to kill her?" Gokuu asked, pretending to not understand. "The woman ends up dead either way." 

"Grr! I'm not waiting to kill you!" Vegita said. He raised his sword and began to charge at Gokuu. "I'm going to cut off your head right now!!" 

_He's really fast_! Gokuu noticed, knowing that he would only be able to block. He wouldn't have enough time to dodge his attack. 

Gokuu nearly fell off his feet as his blade met with Vegita's. The force Vegita was pushing back upon him was incredible and forcing Gokuu to use almost all his strength to keep Vegita from knocking him off his feet. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of face. 

"Su…suge…" Gokuu said, using both of his hands to hold back Vegita. 

"Heh, not too bad, Kakarotto," Vegita admitted, surprised Gokuu had remained on his feet, "but don't think you're saved yet." 

Vegita jumped back and immediately went into slashing at Gokuu without any hesitation. Gokuu nearly had his arm cut off at Vegita's first attack, not expecting him to pull away and then attack so rapidly. It was all Gokuu could do to block and try to get some distance between him and the Prince; Vegita sent another attack upon him as soon as his blade made contact with Gokuu's. To make matters worse, Gokuu was using too much energy trying to keep up with Vegita's fast movements. Vegita didn't seemed to be tiring, but Gokuu, who was already breathing hard, knew he couldn't stand this for much longer. 

Vegita had noticed Gokuu's trouble and chuckled at him, despite still desiring to cut Gokuu in half. "Doushita (What's wrong), Kakarotto?" he said. He grinned maliciously when he was finally able to get Gokuu to stumble back at little, however, he didn't simply let him fall back; he raised his sword above his head and tried to slice Gokuu right down the middle. 

Gokuu let out a curse as he rolled out of the way just as Vegita's sword came down into the floor. His blade went deep into the white surface, an inch from where Gokuu was now crouched down. Gokuu breathed heavily and held his sword ready for when Vegita pulled his weapon from the floor. Vegita laughed at him again and slowly pulled his sword from the floor. Gokuu, at the same time, got back to his feet and took several steps back to put a good space between him and Vegita. 

"Why don't you just stay put, Kakarotto?" Vegita asked. He didn't seem angry, but amused. "If you've known you're a Saiyajin for a long time, it's your duty to give up your life if I chose it to be taken." 

_He's not joking around here_, Gokuu thought, finally getting himself back to a regular breathing pattern. "You may want to kill me, but we did say that we were going to spar," Gokuu said. "Anyway, I've spent too much time calculating to take over Capsule to die now. I want to be able to see the fall of Capsule before I die. Besides, it's not very Saiyajin-like to willingly die; aren't we supposed to try to go down fighting?" 

"Shut the hell up, Kakarotto!" Vegita snapped. "When I tell you to do something, you do it! I can't trust you to be alone, or even breath the same air as the woman again! That's why this place is going to be your deathbed." The Prince began looming closer to him. 

_I'd like to keep fighting him, but I doubt I'd win_… Gokuu thought. _I suppose I should train a little before the tournament and at the same time test Vegita a little more_. 

"Sou ka na," Gokuu said. He began to laugh loudly. 

"Hmph, laughing about how pitiful you're going to look slashed into a thousand pieces?" 

"Iie. I was thinking about how easy it would have been for me to poison the Princess's food a little while ago. She would be able to feel the effects right about now, I think. Of course, I wouldn't have done such a thing before I had your permission…" 

Vegita stopped and noticed the devious look in Gokuu's eyes. "Kakarotto, you wouldn't have dared poison that woman…" 

"You know, I really thought you'd allow me to kill the Princess, but--" 

_No way am I going to risk that he's saying random things_! Vegita thought. "Kakarotto, you are going to suffer a horrible death if that woman's dead!" he said. 

Gokuu held up his hands. "I haven't done a thing, Your Majesty…" His laughter afterwards didn't help. 

"Grr! Don't think I'm letting you off the hook!" Vegita said, before he dropped his sword and ran out of the room. 

Gokuu relaxed and returned his laughter to its normal jovial tone. "That was kinda hard," he admitted, staring at the dent in the floor. "Demo, I guess I was right about Vegita. I just made him think Bulma was in danger and he went off to make sure she was all right. Yep, Vegita must really care about Bulma. All I have to do now is somehow make sure I don't end up in prison for what I just said…" Gokuu sighed and rubbed his head. "It'll be hard to change Vegita's opinion of me now…"   
  
  
  
******** 

Bulma was rocking on the edge of her bed, trying to figure out what in the world Gokuu was planning to do. However, she had been doing so for a long time and was getting tired of the whole thing. In her frustration and boredom she began to make noises as if she was dying--dying of boredom, of course. She held onto her throat and began to gasp as if she was soon about to fall forward onto her face. In her overdramatic state, she was so caught up into it that she barely took notice when her door opened, figuring it was Sukuwa or Pikaru. 

"Kuso, Kakarotto wasn't just talking!" Vegita said, seeing the woman gagging. 

Bulma stared at Vegita incredulous as he rushed over to her as if she was infected with some horrible disease. "Wha…what is your problem?" she asked, completely forgetting that she didn't want to talk to him. 

"Na…nan da?" Vegita said, too relieved to notice that she was talking again. "You're…you're not poisoned?" 

"Of course not," Bulma said, lowering her hands. "What? Did you suddenly remember that you sent me some poisonous food by mistake?" 

"Don't be stupid," Vegita said, frowning not just at her but his own concern for her welfare. "Kakarotto told me…" Vegita raised a brow at her, finally realizing something important. "Your voice is back." 

Bulma reddened and mentally scolded herself. "Oh, yes…" she said. "It must have been the work of that regen pool…" 

"Grr!" Vegita turned from her and balled up his fists. "That damn Kakarotto! How dare he make me think that… I'm going to kill that little bastard!!" 

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Bulma said, staring at his back. "Why did you come in here so suddenly?" 

"None of your business!" Vegita said. He knew his face was red this time, but there was little he could do about it. He was embarrassed, but not as much as he was angry at Gokuu. He'd make him pay for causing Vegita to act so crazily. 

"Did Son-kun do something strange?" Bulma asked. "He told me… Er, never mind." 

Vegita turned around quickly. "What did he tell you?" he asked. When Bulma pressed her lips hard together, he moved over to her bed. "Tell me!" 

"Well, um…" Bulma didn't want to tell him, but she didn't want him to do anything like throw her against a wall again. 

"I said, 'tell me!'" Vegita repeated. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders, but the fear in her eyes made him hesitate to do so. 

"He just said that he was going to make you think he had the same intentions as you do, whatever that means," Bulma finally caved in. "That's all he said…" 

"The same intentions…" Vegita said. His eyes widened. _The whole killing the woman thing_! he realized. _But the woman said only make me think which means Kakarotto made up that stupid story about him wanting to kill the woman_… 

"What did Son-kun do?" Bulma asked, inching a little toward the other side of her bed. 

Vegita crossed his arms, wondering if it was all a ruse or the actual truth Gokuu had told him. Both seemed like they could be true, but he didn't know which to believe. He didn't like either of them: one where Gokuu was hopelessly devoted to Bulma and one where Gokuu was determined to kill Bulma. 

"Okay, woman," Vegita said, putting his hands on the bed. "I want you to tell me about Kakarotto." 

"Huh?" Bulma expected him to get angry as Vegita did when she expressed her confusion. 

"Has Kakarotto ever made you think that he…he might try to hurt you?" Vegita asked carefully. 

"Never," Bulma said. She raised a brow. "Why are you asking me this?" 

"I'm asking the questions, so just sit there and answer them," Vegita said, smiling a little at her frown. "I'm halfway convinced that Kakarotto isn't your diligent little knight as you see him." 

"Huh?" 

"I think he may be trying to kill you." 

Bulma began to laugh. "Excuse me, 'Your Majesty,' but don't you think you have Son-kun confused with yourself?" she said. "He's trying to keep me alive while you're the one trying to kill me." 

Vegita growled and dug his hands into her bed sheets. "Kakarotto told me that he's trying to kill you!" he said. "You may not realize this, but all Saiyajins have a predisposition to kill! It doesn't matter that Kakarotto was raised in Capsule! He wants to kill you and your weak parents and rule Capsule by himself!" 

"Oh, yeah right!" Bulma said. She couldn't be afraid of someone talking such nonsense. "I've known Son-kun for too long to not know if he really wanted me dead! There was plenty of opportunity for him to seize power if he wanted to. For example, my father was kidnapped at one point and our army was in shambles. Son-kun could have easily overthrown my family then. Why would he wait so long?? It doesn't make any sense!" 

"I…I don't know!" Vegita said. "Kakarotto's probably just insane or something!" 

"Come off it," Bulma said. She folded her arms over her chest. "There's no way Son-kun could be telling the truth. Whatever he said to you must have been part of his plan to make you think he had the same intentions." 

Vegita backed away from her bed and began walking in pace, mulling over the whole thing. Bulma watched him with a raised brow, thinking it was the first time she had seen the Prince thinking hard. She was a bit worried about the details of what Gokuu had told Vegita, seeing how much it bothered the Prince. Bulma didn't want Gokuu to end up in a worse situation than he had began. 

"I don't know what to think…" Vegita said. He rubbed his temples. "First, that damn explosion and now this…" 

"Explosion?" Bulma said. She didn't care if he was just muttering to himself. "What explosion?" 

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself about," Vegita said. He folded his arms over his chest. "Don't forget that you won't live for much longer." 

Bulma rolled her eyes, truly tired of that threat. "Yes, I know," she said. "If I am going to die, then there's no harm in telling me. I'm locked up in here all day; I'd at least like to hear something interesting." 

"Hmph, I'm already beginning to tire of your voice again…" Vegita said. He decided it would be better to shut her up by giving her what she wanted, rather than listening to her gripe about being bored. "Somehow a few houses in a village not too from far the castle exploded. That's why I left earlier; I had to investigate this strange occurrence." 

"Hmm, someone must have planted a bomb," Bulma said. Then she shrugged. "I'm not surprised something like that happened; the Saiyajins probably have hundreds of enemies." 

"You truly are a stupid woman," Vegita said, not even looking at her. "No one was around to light the bomb. The houses just exploded by themselves." 

"Excuse me once again, 'Your Majesty,'" Bulma said, glaring at him, "but I said 'planted,' if you didn't notice. It's quite possible for someone to _plant_ a bomb anywhere and make it go off at a later date. Those kinds of bombs, it's even possible to set them to go off months later." 

Vegita looked at her with almost awe. "Nani?" 

"I wouldn't expect someone like you to completely understand," Bulma went on, "but you make these kind of bombs with substances that react violently with each other only after a certain period of time. To get it 'timed' just right, you just put too much of one of the reactants and when the larger reactant starts to decay is finally at the right proportion to react with the other, the bomb will go off. I've seen it done before, but Capsule doesn't use such methods." 

"Woman, for once you may have said something very useful!" Vegita said. His eyes widened. _If it's true what she says then it's possible that the castle has been "planted" with some of these bombs as well_, he thought. 

"Well, I am a scientist as well as a princess," Bulma boasted. "If I wanted to, I could make one of these bombs." 

"Is there a way to determine if one of these bombs are around?" Vegita asked. 

Bulma shook her head. "You'd have to do a thorough search and look for anything that's suspicious," she said. "They might not even look like bombs, but I'm sure someone who is knowledgeable of explosive substances can spot out these bombs." 

"Do you know anyone like that?" 

"Well, besides me there was only one other person in my kingdom who would be familiar with that kind of stuff." 

"Hmm…" Vegita said, staring at her for a good while. 

"Na…nani…?" Bulma said, unable to steadily look at him. 

"Nanimo nai (Nothing)," Vegita said, adverting his glance. "Well, I hate to admit it, but you've actually helped me." He started for the door. "I'm going to have to speak to Nappa again about this." 

As he closed the door, Bulma blinked from her surprise. "I can't believe Vegita said that…" she said. She didn't know why it made her smile, but it did. "That has to be the only time we ever had some civil conversation. That has to be the greatest fluke that has happened in my life."   
  
  
  
To be continued... 

Uh, that thing about the bombs--just pretend it made sense. I just said something that kinda sounded good. I have no idea (or the patience to find out) how time bombs work. One last note: Please will no one ask me to get Bulma and Vegita together so soon. It can't happen. It wouldn't make any sense at this point. Hell, I don't have a clue how I'm going to do it yet. Or if I will... Well, review if you care to do so! Ja ne! ^_^ 


	12. Chapter 12

*Author's Notes: Sorry I took so long to update. I was very encouraged by the reviews (especially since one person decided to paste the same review several times *sweat-drop*), and I decided to complete the fanfic on fanfiction.net. Currently I am still thinking of a sequel, so I might start on that when I finish this fic. I hope no one thinks I'm dragging this fic along because I had originally intended to start the tournament (I mean, really start it) in this chapter. It didn't happen within the page limit I set for my chapters, so I decided to wait until thirteen to have the actually tournament begin. It should also end in one chapter because I'm horrible at fighting scences and there is no possible way I could thoroughly describe this tournament for several chapters. Anyway, thank you so much for all those who reviewed. Once again, I'm sorry that I took so long, but I was depressed for a long time that discouraged me from writing. Well, enjoy and review if you have the desire to do so! ^_^   
  
  


** Chapter Twelve**

  
  


Bulma had treated her last night as she had when she had went through her first "last night." She took as bath as if it mattered whether or not she was clean when she died and settled herself down for a nice rest in her bed. It would have made her journey into dream world more pleasurable if she had been able to see Gokuu, but even as much as she hoped for it, she knew it would never be. Vegita gave her the impression that he trusted him less than he had before. Bulma didn't know what Gokuu did to make Vegita so suspicious, but it seemed as if he cared if Gokuu was a threat to her. Bulma could wish all night to see him, but she knew she wouldn't be able to see him until the tournament. This, and all of Vegita's other strange behavior, was enough to keep her from falling directly asleep. She lied on her bed for a long time, contemplating about Vegita and of course, what would happen to her friend in the morning. 

"Maybe if I pray for Son-kun, somehow he'll survive," Bulma said as she looked up at the ceiling. She sighed and turned on her side. "Maybe if I do, God will somehow make sure that tournament never happens…" 

Bulma closed her eyes, prepared to let sleep overcome her. However, she soon found out that her desire was not to be fulfilled. The door to her room rudely opened and Bulma heard the familiar steps of her two "favorite" guards, Sukuwa and Pikaru. At first Bulma figured she would pretend to be asleep and cause them to quickly leave the room, but it seemed as though they weren't there to simply check on her. Bulma's eyelids jerked open as one of them began shaking her. She discovered it was Sukuwa as she sat up and glared at the two Saiyajins. As usual, they gave her condescending stares as if she were a servant being treated better than one should. 

"Get up, woman," Sukuwa commanded. 

"Why?" Bulma asked, frowning that she had been denied one of the few things that brought her joy in the past couple of days, sleep. 

"Don't question us!" Pikaru snapped. He grabbed her arm and pulled her off the bed and onto her feet. "We're following the Prince's orders--we don't have to answer your questions!" 

"Come on," Sukuwa said, pushing her forward, though Pikaru was already dragging her out the door. 

"Okay, okay!" Bulma said, her annoyance overshadowing the anxiety she knew she should be having. She guessed since she seriously considered it her last day that she should have at least been granted the pleasure of being left in peace for one night. 

Bulma, though having escaped a few times to travel around the castle, had no clue where the two guards were taking her. It didn't seem to be a dungeon or anything of the like because each hall they entered was fancier than the last and most dungeons were underground and they had traveled up two flights of stairs. More tapestries with the royal Saiyajin crest adorned the walls and the carpet began to resemble that of the carpet rolled out for royalty. Bulma shortly realized that she must be on her way to Vegita's quarters, knowing that in the Capsule Castle, the decorations became more elaborate upon nearing the royal quarters. However, Bulma was more frightened by the prospect than curious. Why would Vegita send for her to his quarters and at this hour? Bulma's mind reeled and all mental pictures she had of the possible scenarios made her drag her feet. Before, she had simply tried to keep up with Pikaru pulling her along, while at the same time trying to prevent Sukuwa from pushing her forward from behind. Now she was just letting her legs go limp. 

"Quit your stalling, woman!" Sukuwa said as he shoved Bulma again. "I'm not letting Ouji-sama chew me out for your reluctance!" 

"What does Vegita…Ouji…want?" Bulma demanded. She didn't notice she had been breathing hard until she had finished asking her question. 

"How the hell should we know?" Pikaru said. Though Bulma's actions weren't slowing him down much, they were annoying because he had to take precaution not to actually harm someone so weak by Saiyajin standards. 

"Oi, maybe Vegita-Ouji wants to actually put the woman to some good use before she dies," Sukuwa suggested. "You think?" 

His comment didn't help Bulma's anxiety, nor did Pikaru's additional statement of, "Probably." 

_Okay, Bulma,_ Bulma thought, _Don't let these two moron's ramblings make your imagination wander. I'm sure Vegita has a logical reason for calling you out so late at night. I know he can't be thinking of killing me--he definitely wants to let me watch Son-kun die… What in the world does he want me for?? He can barely stand me!_

Bulma continued to try to invent a theory that was reasonable for Vegita's desire to see her so late at night. The few nights she had been at the castle, Vegita had only visited her to verbally or physically abuse her. The only time this hadn't been true was earlier that day when Vegita had barged in her room like a madman. At that time, Bulma almost felt as though Vegita was a human being, not unlike herself, who was worried about the welfare of his people. At least Bulma hoped that his interest in the recent bombing was protecting the Saiyajins from another attack, not finding a way to produce the bombs again. Bulma, forgetting that she was supposed to be thinking a reason why Vegita had summoned her, tried to picture Vegita planting bombs in his enemies' kingdoms. However, she had the distinct feeling that Saiyajins (so arrogant about their strength and concerned about fighting hand-to-hand combat) would want to use such tactics. 

"Stop dragging your feet!" Sukuwa commanded, reminding Bulma of what she really should be thinking about. "I'm sure Vegita-Ouji will be very angry to know you were reluctant to follow his orders." 

"You'd be better off to do as he commands before you find out just how terrifying our Prince can be," Pikaru added. 

_I'm well aware, thank you,_ Bulma thought, frowning at them. She began to panic again, somehow sensing that they were even nearer to Vegita's quarters. She didn't have a plausible idea why Vegita wanted her, so her thoughts were overwhelmed by the suggestions Sukuwa and Pikaru had given. It was bad enough that she was going to die without having to be defiled by someone that hated her ten times as much as she hated him. True, Bulma could say her hatred of Vegita was the greatest she had ever experienced, but as great as it was, she couldn't say that she wanted him dead. Bulma couldn't even think of having him beaten nearly to death. Vegita needed a good swift punch to the face and maybe a kick in the rear, but beating him to a pulp (however tempting) would give her no great joy. Vegita, on the other hand, wanted her to suffer and wanted her dead. Surely his hatred of Bulma was much larger than the hatred she had for him. Maybe Bulma didn't even have to call her feelings toward Vegita "hate"--she figured a hatred would want her to have him severely harmed or killed. Bulma guessed she would have to call her feelings toward Vegita a great dislike, bordering on hatred. 

Bulma gasped as they stopped at a large set of double doors, knowing that Vegita was behind them. She cursed herself for letting her mind wander away from thoughts of what was really bothering her, especially when she desperately needed to calm herself. Now she was trembling and digging her feet into the floor, staring at the doors as if they doors leading into Hell. If Bulma was there for what she hoped she wasn't, then the doors truly would be an entrance to Hell. Pikaru and Sukuwa were getting more annoyed with her actions, but they weren't threatening enough to make her ignore her present fear. Bulma knew they could easily throw her inside the room, but reason too wasn't enough to make her obey anything except her fear. Her fear instructed her to imitate a statue and refuse to be moved without force. 

"Woman, it is a good thing you won't be the Prince's mate!" Sukuwa said. He lifted Bulma up by her arm, holding her up about a foot in the air for a few seconds, before lowering her forcefully down on her feet so that she had to stand on her feet to prevent herself from falling over. "Your intense cowardliness has a great possibly to taint even a Saiyajin child." 

_That almost makes me happy to die,_ Bulma thought, rubbing her ankles. The force that Sukuwa had dropped her was nearly equivalent to jumping out of a high window and landing on one's feet. _If I'm dead, I won't have to be responsible for another horrible Saiyajin being born…and another "Vegita" as well._

Pikaru pounded on the great doors while Bulma continued to tend to her aching lower legs. However, when she heard the clear sounds of Vegita's approval for them to enter the room, her pain was suddenly cured. Sukuwa must have been sensing her thoughts because he made sure he was standing behind her in a way that allowed her little escape. Seeing Pikaru glaring at her as he pushed opened the doors made her guess that Sukuwa had the same expression behind her. Bulma let out a sigh and pretended to be brave. Hesitating nor fighting was going to change her fate; she would have to face Vegita before the tournament, whether she liked it or not. Bulma guessed it was just as well because she didn't want to give Vegita the satisfaction of knowing she was afraid. 

Vegita seemed perturbed when Bulma walked into the preliminary room where he was seated at what looked like a conference table. The room was large enough to be a room for a meeting, but Bulma had a good feeling it was rarely used for such purposes. Drawing her own conclusion from Vegita's pompous attitude, she assumed the room was only large to make Vegita seem more important. 

"What took so long?" Vegita asked, rising from the head of the table's seat. He slowly approached Bulma and stopped five feet from her. Bulma did a decent job of hiding her apprehension, noticing that Vegita's scowl appeared to be targeted on Pikaru and Sukuwa. 

"It…It wasn't us, Your Majesty," Pikaru said, unable to prevent a bead of sweat from rolling down the side of his face. "The woman was uncooperative." 

"Ye…Yes," Sukuwa agreed. Bulma couldn't see them as she was standing in front of them, but she could imagine them pointing fingers at her like little children, though both were solidly standing with a salute. 

"Hmph, I see," Vegita said. He was smiling now, which didn't help Bulma become at ease, but did ease the two Saiyajin guards. "You two are dismissed to your posts. I will bring the woman back there when I am done with her." 

Bulma swallowed as Pikaru and Sukuwa gave a response of understanding and left. She didn't quite like Vegita's wording, nor the fact that she had to be so far away from her room to be left alone with Vegita. It seemed more frightening than before since it was his own private room where he had more freedom to do as he pleased (though Vegita treated Bulma's room more like his own than as if it belonged to her). Bulma guessed with Pikaru and Sukuwa almost always guarding her door, Vegita had to be careful he didn't make them wonder what he was doing with her inside. Bulma knew she was showing her fear visibly, but at that point she didn't care. All she could do was think that those two guards probably knew more about what they were talking about than Bulma gave them credit for. 

"What's with you, woman?" Vegita asked. His voice sounded cross because he believed she was still tense around him because of his slip up the other day. Bulma didn't respond and he decided to let it go for the sake of his plans. "Come on--I don't intend to waste time standing here." 

"Uh…" Bulma said as he started to the door on the left wall. She followed him silently against her will, her fear keeping her from asking him what his intentions were. 

"My bedroom is at the center of my quarters, so it should be efficient for privacy," Vegita said, just before they arrived at said room. 

_Oh, my God!_ Bulma thought, freezing at the doorway. She wondered if she could outrun Vegita, but she doubted it remembering that his speed to strike her was incredible. _He must really be going to--_

"Oi!" Vegita snapped, standing next to his bed while he glared at her. "I thought I told you I didn't want to waste any time!" 

"For…Forget it!" Bulma said. She held onto her shoulders as if she needed to cover or protect herself. 

"Forget what??" Vegita asked. It was hard for him to be too vexed by her actions. He was sure she had no clue what he wanted her for. 

"Don't play dumb with me!" Bulma said. She inched away from the door. "Just because you're going to kill me doesn't mean you can do what you please with me!" 

"Stupid woman," Vegita said. He quickly moved over to her before she could inch away any more, pulled her into the room, and closed the door behind her. "I _can_ do whatever I please with you and not just because you're going to die, either." 

Bulma was too frightened to respond to his rather possessive remark and chose to foolishly continue to inch backwards. Vegita didn't even approach her and only watched her, his arms folded, as she inched all the way onto his bed and fell back upon it. If he had more time to amuse himself, he might have taken the time to laugh at how bizarre she was acting. Sometimes he was amazed at how odd she could be at times. 

"Are you through wasting my time?" Vegita said after she quickly hopped off his bed and stood as if ready withstand any kind of attack toward her. "This can be done rather quickly if you cooperate." 

"I won't!" Bulma said, more shrilly than she had intended. She backed into a dresser this time. 

"The hell you won't!" Vegita snarled. He walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I suppose that blow to your head has made you forget that I am the one in control here! I give commands and you follow them!" 

Bulma swallowed again, having slight flashes of being thrown and shivering involuntarily. _I don't want to cause him to hurt me again by making him frustrated, _ she thought, _but I doubt want him to…touch me either! I wish Son-kun was with me now! If he had been in my room when those guards came I'm sure he would have never let them take me here!_

"Now stop acting foolish and have a seat on the bed," Vegita ordered. He had felt her vibrate from her shuddering and decided he had established his power well enough. Vegita also, though would never consciously acknowledge it, didn't want to cause Bulma to show any more signs that she was reminded of what he did to her. He knew it caused her to shiver as she had because he had yet to see her do so until after that unpleasant incident. The Prince, desiring to never let his unconscious feelings arise, liked to think that her new response to him was a good thing. 

Bulma did as she was told, still shivering all over. She watched Vegita go into a sort of cabinet and pull some things out. Fearing it was something to bond her or sedate her, she squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her hands together to pray that Gokuu would somehow come to rescue her. 

Vegita stood in front of her and raised a brow at her. "What the hell are you doing??" he said. "I'm not planning to hurt you…unless you make me lose my temper." 

"Don't touch me!" Bulma said, refusing to open her eyes. "I won't let you take advantage of me!" 

"What the hell are you babbling about woman??" Bulma felt the bed shake as Vegita sat down beside her and laid something on the bed. 

"Hu…Huh?" Bulma slowly opened one eye and saw that Vegita had laid a cloth on the bed along with the remains of what seemed to be the bombs he had been talking about earlier. She blinked after opening the other eye, glanced at him sitting beside her with his usual frown, and then turned red. 

"You brought me here…to show me…this?" she asked, gradually stopping her body from shaking. 

"Yes, and I didn't want anyone to find out about this," Vegita said. "I decided that we Saiyajins don't need to risk having any more outsiders coming into our kingdom and we can't trust the majority that are already here. So, since you seem to know a little something, I thought it would be more prudent to let you examine this." 

"I…I see…" Bulma said. She fanned herself with her hand, smiling at her wild assumption. 

"Hmph, obviously you thought I had brought you here for a different reason," Vegita said, noticing that she seemed to be relieved now. He narrowed his eyes at her. "What was going on in that little mind of yours?" 

"Nothing, nothing," Bulma said way too quickly to make her voice sound casual. 

Vegita slowly began to grin as he realized what she had been thinking. At first he was able to prevent himself from laughing, but soon his laughter filled the room, much to Bulma's discontent. She halfway hoped he had no clue what she had been thinking, embarrassed the thought had even crossed her mind. However, seeing how wide Vegita's grin was when he finished laughing, Bulma knew that he had obviously figured it out. 

"So, _that's_ why you were acting so strangely," Vegita said. He nodded his head and put a hand to his chin. 

"Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong," Bulma said. She avoided his glance to prevent herself from further giving away her obvious false front. 

"Oh, am I?" Vegita asked. He leaned closer to her. "I believe you thought I was going to--" 

"What does it matter what I thought??" Bulma interrupted, not wanting him to say it aloud. She pointed to the cloth with the pieces of the bomb. "You brought me here to look at this, right? Didn't you say before that you didn't want me to waste your time??" 

Hearing Vegita laugh at her again only made Bulma flustered and reminded of how much she hated the sound of his laughter. It had been a while since she had heard it, but she would have preferred that the while had been longer. His annoying chuckles were on the top of the list of things that she disliked about Vegita. 

"You know doing _that_ wouldn't be a waste a time," Vegita said, grinning but sounding as if he was serious. "Sounds like a better idea than what I initially intended you to come here for." 

"Stop joking around!" Bulma said, scooting to the edge of the bed so that she could be as far away from Vegita as possible. Despite her words, she didn't think for a second Vegita was actually joking. 

"You should spend each of your last hours wisely," Vegita said. He lessened the distance between them that she had created to make her even less comfortable. 

_He's doing this on purpose,_ Bulma realized, trying to frown away her nervousness. "So you're telling me rather than attempt to let me help you, you'd rather…do _that_??" she returned. She kept still to prevent Vegita from making her even less at ease. 

"The tournament is only about six hours away. I think we can do both," Vegita said. In one swift motion he deleted all space between them. He smirked as Bulma cried out and tipped off the bed, obviously forgetting that she was already on the edge. 

After falling on the floor and knowing that Vegita was probably laughing at her on the inside, Bulma was significantly more angry than worried about Vegita taking any lewd actions. She stood, meeting his smirk with her eyes narrowed and her lips tightly rolled in. Bulma could tell her expression made him more amused, which made her even less amused. She blamed him wholeheartedly for causing her to fall of the bed. 

"If you want me to cooperate with you, I suggest you stop making such comments," Bulma said when she finally decided to unroll her lips. 

"Hmph, you're such a stubborn woman," Vegita said, but his pleased look remained. He turned so that he was facing the items on his bed. "All right, show me if your intelligence isn't just a façade, woman." 

_If only he were a great deal weaker,_ Bulma thought, desiring to give him the swift kick he was in dire need of. She drew in a breath and sat down on the side of the bed perpendicular to that Vegita was sitting. At that point Bulma didn't care if Vegita found that amusing; she figured the best thing for her to do was to examine the bits of the bombs and allow Vegita's thoughts to drift away from his dirty ones. As soon as her fingers touched the pieces set before her, it was increasingly easier to forget all the reasons spending time with Vegita was especially unsettling. The scientific aspect of her mind, which was hardly utilized while she was in the Saiyajin Kingdom, was ignited by the task of analyzing the bomb remains. Once she got started, she was so absorbed into her work that she spoke to Vegita as if he were a regular human being (which he was far from being). Vegita also contributed to her temporary amnesia of her past experiences in Vegita; he sat and listened to her speak with an uncharacteristic calm and almost patient manner. He still had the firm frown in his features (which Bulma was sure was something he was unable to remove), but he didn't seem to be irritated when he didn't understand what Bulma was talking about. She guessed if he showed signs of frustration, then he would prove that Bulma was more intelligent than he was. If he kept his cool, asked questions when he wasn't clear, and tried to understand what she was saying, it seemed as though there was no difference in their intellect. Bulma probably would have found this funny if she wasn't more concerned about the construction of the bomb. 

"Do you have any soil samples?" Bulma said, finally lying the pieces back on the cloth. 

"What for?" Vegita asked, his arms folding over his chest. 

"With just these pieces, I can't tell what substances were used to cause the bomb to explode," Bulma said. Her brows lowered as she thought of her past experiences with bombs. "There's actually only a few compounds powerful enough to make such an explosion, and they originate from specific countries. If you know what was used--" 

"Then I may be able to determine what fools were stupid enough to go against the Saiyajin Kingdom," Vegita guessed. 

"Well, another country may have asked the other country to aid them," Bulma added. She raised a brow at him, believing he would rather get rid of the aid than the actual culprit. 

"Hmph, if some kingdom has the ingredients for such a cowardly weapon, then it sounds like a good idea to rid the world of such a nuisance." 

Bulma let out a breath and shook her head. _The same could be said about the Vegita Kingdom…_ she thought. She decided to keep her silence, not desiring to debate reason with a Saiyajin. That was about as useful as trying to convince people that breathing was bad for their health. Vegita, as the Saiyajin no Ouji, was the worst person to argue with about needing to think things through. 

Vegita stared at Bulma during her silence, contemplating not what she would have wanted him to be pondering about, but whether or not he could or should trust Bulma. He didn't really think he had anything to fear from her, but he also knew that Bulma wasn't exactly his biggest fan. He wasn't quite sure if Bulma was given the chance again that she wouldn't try to escape. At this time, it would be even more likely that Bulma would want to get away, having little to lose, but Vegita doubted that after that unpleasant incident that Bulma would want to risk making Vegita furious again. If he made sure that he reminded her of the danger of crossing him, Vegita would have a better chance of obtaining a plan of action against the recent bombing without adding Bulma to his list of problems. 

"Yoshi (All right)," Vegita said. He stood, causing Bulma to blink at him. "I can take you to the village." 

"Huh?" 

"You said you were knowledgeable of explosive substances, didn't you?" 

"Well, yes, but--" 

"Good. We're going." Vegita extended his hand to her. "However, take in consideration that under no circumstance will I allow you to slip through my fingers like my moronic guards." 

"As if I'd run away at this point," Bulma muttered. As she walked over to him and took his hand, she concentrated on her words rather than her trembling hand. "I wouldn't dare leave Son-kun alone in this crazy kingdom of Saiyajins." 

Vegita narrowed his eyes at her and tensed his grip on her hand. "You're just lucky that 'Son-kun' is still alive at this point," he grumbled. He began leading her out of the room with little heed that Bulma might have a bit of trouble keeping up with his hasty pace. "Ever since he told me that he was out to kill you, I've had a group of guards watching his every move and making sure that he doesn't even enter the hall your room is on." 

"Na…nani?" Bulma drew in a quick breath as Vegita pulled her into a door that led them into a dark corridor. She could tell that it wasn't a straight hallway from the way she was drawn to lean forward as if the path was going at a downward slant. For the moment she would ignore the details about Gokuu and focus on the matter at hand. "I thought you said we were going to the village!" 

"Woman, why don't you just keep quiet and not worry about our route??" Vegita snapped. 

_I guess I have no choice but to trust him,_ Bulma thought, ignoring their dark path. "Well, if I'm going to be traveling in the dark, I'd rather be talking," she said. Her thoughts quickly returned to Gokuu. "You just said that you're having Son-kun monitored. I thought I made it clear to you that Son-kun has no intentions to harm me." 

Vegita made a disdainful sound. "Kakarotto is a danger. He's either a hopeless idiot or one of the most intelligent Saiyajins I've ever met. Either way, he needs to be eliminated and since I have no plans to kill him at the moment, I want him to be kept under close watch until the tournament." 

"That's ridiculous!" Bulma said. She let out a silent sigh of relief as they somehow managed to be outside of the castle. It was then she realized that Vegita, like so many other royalty, had a secret exit in his room that few knew about. "Son-kun would never hurt me--never in a billion years." 

"I'm not taking the chance." Vegita stopped for a moment, scanning the area for anyone before continuing on his way. He did this periodically as he walked about the outside of the castle, occasionally having to wait for the opportunity to dodge some of the guards marching around the perimeter. Bulma was surprised that they hadn't been spotted yet, as it seemed the more they moved around the castle, the more they encountered the Saiyajin guards. Vegita was quick enough on his own, but having to pull Bulma with him and at the same time not go too fast that she would fall was making the risk of being caught greater and greater. Vegita cursed as they ducked behind a bush to avoid being seen by a group of ten soldiers. Bulma almost thought it would be better that Vegita simply walk up to them and tell them to get lost, but she guessed since he sent her to his bedroom to prevent anyone from finding out he was seeking her help, he wouldn't let his men find out he was traveling around with her at night. 

"This isn't going to work this way," Vegita said quietly. "You're not agile enough to keep up with me." 

"Sorry I'm nothing but heavy luggage," Bulma muttered. 

"I guess I have no choice," Vegita said as if he hadn't even heard her. His eyes were rapidly moving back in forth in sync with the marching of the soldiers. "You're going to have to get on my back." 

"Na…nani??" Bulma swallowed, thinking it was bad enough she had to touch his hand. The last thing she wanted to do was get onto his back and be practically hugging him from behind. She shuddered and shook her head. "I won't." 

Vegita's hand was instantly clenching her collar and drawing her face closer to his. "Right now you have two options:" he hissed, "you either do what I want or I do something _you_ don't want." 

Bulma swallowed again, thinking at this point there was only one thing she didn't want Vegita to do with her, and that involved taking a trip back to his bedroom. "All…All right…" she conceded. "Just don't…don't try anything funny." 

"Who the hell do you think you are talking to?" Vegita said, letting go of her collar. He turned his back to her, already couched down, and waited for her to get on. "I'll do what I want whether you like it or not." 

Bulma felt the urge to find a rock and bash it against Vegita's head while his back was turned. However, she had a feeling that if she did so, his thick skull would cause the rock to shatter into dust, having no effect on him. She merely frowned and slowly climbed onto Vegita's back. As soon as she rested against him, she was reminded of the time Vegita had carried her in his arms to the regen pool. Oddly enough, she realized her fear of being so close to him was nothing like that time. It wasn't that she thought Vegita would never do anything to hurt her again, but someone how after mistaking Vegita's reason for taking her to his bedroom, she was reminded that Vegita was dangerous for more than his violent tendencies. She couldn't keep herself composed--her hands lying on top of his shoulder were shaking (as well as her whole body) and she was breathing as if she had been running for a long period of time. To make matters worse, Bulma could feel the warmth of his body, causing her own body to become warm from her complete flush. 

Vegita was halfway concentrating on making his move past the guards and halfway concentrated on the Princess on his back. As much as he wanted to believe he had little interest Bulma was on his back, he couldn't help but smile at the feeling of Bulma's chest against his back. Considering how obstinate Bulma was, Vegita figured it was the closest he could get to touching that area of her body without having to use force or scare tactics. It didn't really matter that she was showing signs of fear; it only convinced him that she would be too frightened to try to attempt escape. 

"Are you…are you going to…go…or n-n-not?" Bulma finally asked. She would feel a degree better if Vegita were moving toward their destination, lessening the time she would have to spend so close to Vegita. 

"Hmph," Vegita said, forgetting what was making him smile for the moment. "Loud-mouthed woman." He waited just a moment for the guards to get into position before he sped from behind the bush and began to move past the guards. Though Bulma was sure under different circumstances she would be, she was glad Vegita held firmly onto her ankles as he ran. His moments were so quick, she wasn't even sure how he moved past all the guards. She was most worried about falling off his back. Still Bulma was thoroughly surprised, expecting him to be more sluggish with her on his back (mainly because their height difference made her temporarily forget how strong he was), since he hadn't been terribly fast simply pulling her along. Bulma had for some reason pressed her face into his back for safety, unconscious of how she wanted to have the minimum contact possible with Vegita. By the time she had came to her senses and lifted her head, she noticed that they were approaching a fenced area with a few horses detained within. Bulma almost thought it were silly that he didn't want to go on foot the whole way to the village, but then she remembered that it was much better for her who almost wished she would fall off Vegita's back if only to prevent further contact. 

Bulma didn't care if Vegita heard her sigh in relief as he allowed her to climb off his back again. She stood in a couched manner trying to get herself back to normal. Now she wasn't just only shook up from being on Vegita's back, but was her wobbly knees were due in part to how fast Vegita had been going. Judging by how fast he moved, she could only assume how fast he'd ride a horse. 

"Come on, woman," Vegita said. He had led a horse from the fence during the time she tried to collect her and had closed the fence back. "Unless you'd like to stand here all night and see which of my guards finds you out here by yourself." 

Bulma glared at him as he got up into the horse with ease and then extended his hand again to help her up. She wished for a minute that she could actually try to flee, but even if by some miracle Vegita didn't catch her (and Gokuu wasn't left behind in such a horrible place), she'd have to manage to find her way out of the Saiyajin Kingdom without running into thousands of Saiyajins in the process. Bulma placed the most dignified expression on her face and carefully stepped up onto the horse, seating herself behind Vegita. She were more comfortable with this position than she were lying against his back, for she only needed to hold onto his back for security. However, the first jerk Bulma experienced as Vegita started off proved that Bulma needed to wrap her arms tightly around his waist whether she liked it or not. Even then Bulma was cringing at the thought of falling off and weakly asking Vegita not to go so fast. Vegita pretended to not hear her, but Bulma was sure he was grinning at her actions. The worst part of knowing that, in Bulma's opinion, was being in no position to change the way things were.   
  
******   
  


Vegita couldn't help but wonder, as he sat on the edge of the crater Bulma was standing in, how anyone, especially a woman, could wholeheartedly keep interest in something as trivial as dirt. Had her little examination, of course, had no use to Vegita, he would have definitely ended the boring matter at once. Then again, Vegita didn't find Bulma's process completely boring; the Saiyajin no Ouji was a bit intrigued by Bulma herself. This was the second time he actually witnessed her concentrating so hard. Most of his experience with Bulma had been purposely making her exasperated and hearing her shoot of her insolent mouth. This was something she could do quietly and without looking foolish, which made Vegita consider if she was really foolish or not. As much he didn't want to admit a woman (particularly a woman like Bulma) could be superior to him in some way, Vegita knew that Bulma was totally aware of what she was doing. He doubted she could fake her knowledge or even try to do that, for doing so had few advantages. Deep within his royal Saiyajin mind Vegita knew that he should resent her more, but the more he allowed her display her intelligent side, the more he couldn't. Watching her work, especially with the nearly full moonlight upon her, was interesting for a reason Vegita didn't bother to consider. 

"Hmm…" Bulma said, rubbing the soil between her fingers. She casually put one of her fingers into her mouth and tasted what remained on it. 

Vegita raised a brow, amused by her action. "Is this whole thing making you hungry?" he asked. "You needn't be so desperate that you have to resort to eating dirt." 

Bulma spit out what she could out of her mouth. "I'm not eating the dirt," she said, "I'm just tasting it." 

"Tasting it?" 

"Judging by the gray color the reactants' product is, I'm sure it can only be three such compounds. Luckily they are distinct in taste, for someone as familiar with their tastes as I am, and only harmful to humans if in bomb form, not if consumed." 

"For your sake, I hope you're right," Vegita said. Bulma didn't miss the teasing hint in his voice and she gave him a facial indication that he wasn't very funny. Vegita grinned at her and reclined back, resting his hands on the ground to support him. "So? What's your analysis, little scientist woman?" 

_I never thought the plain old "woman" would sound better than something else,_ Bulma thought, sourly ignoring the new title he had given her. "The compound used in this bomb is Volcano's Shower," she said. She dusted off her hands and then wiped them on her pants. 

"Volcano's Shower?" Vegita repeated. He really started to wonder if she was making up things now. 

"This compound was invented by a small but technologically advanced kingdom named Ribbon," Bulma went on. She put her hands on her hips as she tried to remember all the facts. "Apparently one of the scientists there wanted to create a compound whose combing power was so great that it rivaled the explosion caused when a volcano erupts, thus gaining its name. Demo, I've heard Ribbon has been conquered by some big empire, so it's possible that empire is the reason these bombs were planted here." 

"Nani??" Vegita nearly rolled forward into the crater. A bead of sweat roll down the side of his face. "Woman, are you positive about this??" 

"Ye…Yes…" Bulma said, hoping he wouldn't hop down into the crater and shake her. 

Vegita clenched his fists and rose to his feet. "I would have never thought of it, but it shouldn't surprise me," he said. He took no heed of Bulma's quizzical look. "Still, if he thinks we Saiyajins have no clue of what is going on, we'll have the advantage to attack without him expecting it." 

"Who are you talking about?" Bulma asked. "Do you know the leader of this empire or something?" 

"I do, but it is of no concern to you," Vegita said. He scowled out into space. "Kuso (Shit)…" 

Bulma yawned, noticing for the first time that she was tired. Aware of this fact now, she decided it was wiser not to bother with her curiosity when she was in need of sleep. She began to take steps forward to climb out of the crater, but her weariness came much faster than she expected. Before she realized it, she had sat down on the ground and was fighting to keep her eyes open. Angry that she was getting so sleepy, Bulma managed to come to the conclusion that her tiredness resulted from the late hour, using her brain power more than usual (at home she constantly exercised her mind, but her few days in Vegita made her mind out of shape), and the sheer exhaustion of dealing with Saiyajins for any period of time. 

Vegita finally made his decision on what he was going to do with the information Bulma gave him, taking his attention back to Bulma whom he now realized had been a little too quiet. He didn't know whether to be annoyed the woman seemed to be sleeping or simply just be haughty about the fact the woman was displaying her weakness. Vegita chose the latter and jumped down into the crater. Bulma, eyes halfway closed, moved a little as if she were trying to get on her feet before he tried to move her. Vegita waited a minute to see if she actually would, but each yawn she took seemed to make her less willing to get on her feet. Vegita's frown deepened and he firmly but gently grabbed Bulma by her shoulders and stood her on her feet. She glared at him, though it wasn't very effective with her drowsy look, but did stay on her feet at least. 

"I always knew you were a weak woman," Vegita said. He watched her closely, expecting her to quit standing and fall back down any moment. "How the hell can anyone become tired so quickly?" 

"Who the hell is up at such ungodly hours?" Bulma muttered. She was too tired to take heed of her words. 

"Hmph, your big mouth never fails," Vegita said. "Come on, I don't intend to stand here all night listening to you talk." 

"As if I'd want to do that either," Bulma said. She tried to prove her point, but only made a horrible attempt to climb out of the crater. Her movements were much too sluggish to achieve her goal, making her slid back to the bottom. She frowned as she heard Vegita laugh at her, and she continued to do so when he moved next to her. 

"For a woman that knows some much about science-related things, you sure act stupid," Vegita said. He kept his grin, seeing her frowning more. "You're obviously too tired to get out by yourself." 

Bulma, though resentful of Vegita's comment, didn't fight Vegita as picked her up to carry her out of the crater. She wasn't thrilled she had to be carried by Vegita of all people, but she didn't really feel like doing more than sitting at the moment. It was already taking most of her energy to be annoyed at Vegita, without trying to exert her physical strength. Vegita was glad she was being docile for a change. She usually would be arguing with him before he had to threaten her to do as he wanted, at least. Vegita found it pleasant to be able to control Bulma with some ease. 

"I guess I can spare a hour for sleeping before I prepare myself for the tournament," Vegita said, thinking out loud as he climbed onto the horse and placed Bulma in front of him this time. He doubted she would stay awake the way back to the castle. 

"Why only an hour?" Bulma asked. It was easier this time to relax against Vegita while he rode them out of the village. She was sure she would have caused a fuss if she had the energy, but not having much, she could even say she was comfortable. Bulma, even in the state she was in, could never forget that she thought Vegita was a major pain in the behind, but she had to admit, he made a pretty good human pillow. 

"I thought you were going to be silent for a change," Vegita said. He had actually thought she was already sleep at that point, so he was surprised she was listening and speaking to him. 

"Just because I'm tired doesn't mean I become mute." Bulma closed her eyes, unconsciously breathing in accordance with the steady pace of the horses' hooves on the ground. 

"Unfortunately." Although he had said this, Vegita felt as though he actually rather she spoke. He guessed it must have been the late hour or something because he rarely enjoyed speaking with the woman outside of trying to frustrate her. 

"Will you answer my question or am I too lowly to be acknowledged?" Bulma asked, rather casually, lacking the sarcasm she obviously intended by her words. 

"The answer to your second question is 'yes,' but I'm willing to give you an answer to the first since these are your final hours," Vegita said. "I still have plenty of things to do before I can take some leisure time to sleep. Besides, Saiyajins don't need to sleep as long as you weak people do. I've actually haven't slept more than ten minutes since you've arrived in my kingdom." 

Bulma recognized that he was insinuating she was so distracting that he couldn't sleep, but she wasn't going to allow him to remove her from her relaxed state. "You Saiyajins are so strange," she said. She yawned and shifted her head against his chest. "People can't function under such little rest." 

"We Saiyajins don't _need_ a great deal of rest. That's why we're strong and you people are weak." Vegita might have put more superiority in his voice, but he was a bit distracted by her head moving against him. He found it curious she was comfortable enough, even with her fatigue, to be able to do that. Vegita had the impression after he had been "forced" to throw her against a wall that Bulma would always fear him, especially when he was close. He was amazed to the point that he focused more on this fact than their conversation. 

"Well, I happen to like sleeping, so I'm glad I'm not a Saiyajin, even if it makes me a weak person," Bulma said. 

"And you say _we're_ strange." Vegita frowned, purposely turning his attention upon where they were going, not Bulma's calm manner with him. "If you like sleep so much, why don't you go ahead and sleep?" 

Vegita thought for a moment that Bulma had taken his suggestion and went to sleep. Bulma was quiet after he had told her to go to sleep, but she hardly had been listening to Vegita. She actually was thinking that it very well might be her last night on earth, and if so she would have liked to have a pleasant memory before she had her final terrible one of the tournament in the morning. She couldn't say anything had been pleasant, being in Vegita, other than seeing Gokuu and spending time with Gokuu. However, Bulma recalled there was one thing that was enjoyable about Vegita that she had forgotten. 

Bulma opened her eyes and sat up straight, so that she wasn't leaning against Vegita anymore. This action had surprised Vegita a little, but she wasn't aware of it. "Vegita, I want to see that garden one last time," she said. 

Vegita's surprise was enough that he didn't bother to correct her for her informality. "Are you crazy?" he asked. "Not only do I have no desire to please you, but you would probably fall asleep by the time we got there." 

Bulma turned her torso that she could gaze at him with her earnest and lively blue eyes. "You said I should spend each of my last hours wisely," she said. "I happen to think that garden is the one thing that keeps this kingdom from being completely horrible. I know that it isn't like a Saiyajin to show compassion or mercy, but it isn't as if anyone is going to know for once that you showed pity for someone. As far as anyone else knows, we're still in your room, right?" 

"Hmph!" Vegita said. He couldn't continue to look into her eyes for some reason, so he shifted his gaze upon their path past her head. "I'm not going to waste my time for your sake!" 

Bulma frowned and turned back to the front. "Well, then I certainly wouldn't beg you to fulfill my request," she said. "When I see my best friend die and I finally get my turn to end my life at this terrible place, I want to be able to still feel as though I have my pride. No use trying to persuade a Saiyajin to change his mind. I just hope that your unwillingness to think differently occasionally, doesn't turn out to be a problem when deciding what to do about the bombing in that village." 

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean??" Vegita was amazed at how fast she could change from being calm and sleepy to awake and irksome. 

"I think I'll take your advice and go to sleep already," Bulma sighed. She closed her eyes again, but did not lean back as before. "The sooner I go to sleep, the sooner I will be close to ending all this." 

_This woman!_ Vegita thought, unable to come back with something at the moment. He knew soon he would be able to make her suffer and then finally shut her up for an eternity, but soon wasn't good enough for him. Vegita didn't want to go back to the castle and let the woman think for even a second she had won. Her manner of speech to him had been incredibly rude and he had been letting her off the hook far too much. Vegita then realized that he could have had a nice ride home if it hadn't been for the woman's desire to see the stupid garden. Suddenly he had the desire to travel to the garden, but not for Bulma's benefit; he wanted to destroy that garden and take away one extra thing that made her smile. Kakarotto would be the coup de grace, but the garden would be a nice start to her great end. Vegita smiled cruelly and slightly changed their course back to the castle. 

"I suggest you hold back your sleep for just a few minutes," Vegita said, his composure back again. "I've decided that showing mercy may be entertaining, so I'm going to allow you to see the garden one last time." 

Bulma's eyes opened in surprise. "What? Really?" she asked. She frowned as if he were just saying it to get her hopes up. "If you're only lying to--" 

"I'm quite serious." Bulma found that as much as sleep beckoned her at that instant, she couldn't allow herself to sleep. She had little doubt that Vegita suddenly came to his senses after what she had said; the more likely event was that he was angry and planning to take her somewhere else that she wouldn't enjoy. Gradually during their trip, she became more and more awake from her thoughts of what Vegita was really up to. She imagined him taking her to one of the infamous Saiyajin dungeons where it had been rumored that even after their prisoners were dead, the Saiyajins displayed them about their dungeons in horrific ways. Bulma certainly didn't want to see any people suffering; she had seen enough during the times of Capsule's wars. Bulma began to regret that she hadn't simply kept quiet when Vegita denied her request. 

Yet, Bulma was sure that if she hadn't said something after she was so rudely deprived of seeing the one thing that could give her a little joy before she had to go through hell in a few hours, she would have exploded later on. Still, Bulma wished she could just keep her mouth closed, at least on her last night. It wasn't as if she wasn't going to suffer enough in the morning. She was going to have to watch her friend die, and now she was going to have to endure something else before she would be able to sleep, if she would be able to after she was through with whatever Vegita had planned for her. 

Bulma cursed to herself, but she temporarily pretended that she had no qualms about where Vegita was taking her. She was sure that if she looked back at Vegita she would see him wearing one of his characteristic devious smiles. If Bulma were to see that smile or any thing of the sort, she doubted she would be able to hide her reserves about Vegita's sudden generosity. Vegita had been quiet for a while, and Bulma wasn't sure if that was necessarily a good thing. Of course, the more Bulma began to recognize that they were nearing the castle, the more she felt as if her suffering was going to begin sooner than she preferred.   
  
******   
  


Gokuu finally began to lift himself into a sitting position. He was breathing more like usual, and he had rested enough on the floor that he believed he could get up once again. It didn't matter to him that he was sweating profusely, hadn't had any sleep, or was even hungry--Gokuu knew that it was the utmost importance that he was aware of his situation. Vegita was planning to kill him and possibly Bulma as well, if Gokuu didn't play his cards right. Knowing this forced him to continue his last-minute training, in preparation of the tournament that would start in a few hours. The short preview of Vegita's skill had also motivated him. 

Granted that Gokuu couldn't say that he wasn't worried about his success, but he still was going to try his best to come out on top. Gokuu had heard rumors that of all Saiyajins, the royal family was the strongest , but until today he hadn't seen any proof of that. Vegita had indeed assured Gokuu that this was not just a rumor but actually was the truth. True, he hadn't fought with any other Saiyajins, but he didn't believe that so many people motivated by fighting and strength would take orders from someone like Vegita unless he had some power to back up his authority. 

Gokuu laughed and got onto his feet, thinking of how paranoid Vegita must be of his actions. He had only tried to leave the training hall once, and he wasn't surprised that they had been several guards waiting outside for him. They were quick to ask him where he was going and what he was planning to do. Gokuu didn't want them to be following him everywhere he went, so he decided not to leave. He supposed that maybe that would make the Saiyajins outside wonder what he was doing inside, but Gokuu thought it would be the one thing he could do that would seem the least suspicious. After all, Gokuu knew that everyone else was aware of Vegita's plan to kill him during the tournament. Of all things Gokuu should be doing, training was on the top of the list. Gokuu hoped that was the reason he hadn't been disturbed the whole time he had been in the training hall. 

"Hmm…" Gokuu said, folding his arms over his chest. "I wonder how Bulma's doing. I know Vegita rushed to see her earlier… I doubt I'm going to be able to see her before the tournament starts. Vegita probably told those guards not to let me go anywhere near her." He laughed again, though his situation really wasn't that funny. It was amusing that Vegita pretended not to care about Bulma, but it was dangerous for Gokuu to have someone as powerful as Vegita thinking he was a threat to someone he cared about. Gokuu wasn't sure if he was going to tell Vegita the truth, or if he was going to continue telling his lie. Neither was a great choice; Gokuu doubted Vegita would believe him now, and he doubted continuing to tell Vegita he wanted to kill Bulma was going to help him any. 

Gokuu sighed and leaned his head back. "I guess the best thing for me to do is to make sure I don't die during this tournament," he said. He straightened his neck again, unfolded his arms, and then grabbed the sword he had been using on the floor beside him. "Demo after that preview of what Vegita can do, it's really easier said than done…"   
  
******   
  


"Well, we're here," Vegita said, setting Bulma down in a bench in the garden. After he had put the horse back into the fenced area, he had put Bulma on his back once again. 

"Do you really think I'm as stupid as you say I am?" Bulma said. She was thankful to be sitting at that moment, but she doubted that she would be soon able to get up again. However, she wasn't going to let her tiredness allow Vegita to fool her. "I know you haven't changed your mind. You want to do something unpleasant to me, to get me back for saying those rude comments from before." 

Vegita didn't give a confirmation at that point that she was correct, but the grin on his face made it obvious what the truth was. "You know, I would have never thought to step foot into this garden again," he said, calming walking around as he spoke, "but why should I? This garden really has no use to me." 

"Yes, I know that you don't care about something as 'trivial' as a garden," Bulma said. She wished she could see where he was going with everything, but it was difficult for her to think deeply. "I still don't believe that you brought me here for my own benefit." 

"Or so I thought," Vegita went on as if Bulma had never spoken. He stood in front of a finely trimmed shrub in the shape of a bird that was clearly in Bulma's view. "There is a very good reason for me to come to this ridiculous place." 

Bulma was just about to ask what the reason was before she saw him grab the end of the shrub and rip it out of the ground. Watching him throw it with no regard of how lovely it was or how much time had probably been put into to shaping it as it was, made Bulma's mouth drop wide open. If that wasn't bad enough, Vegita slid his booted foot over a row of indigo flowers outlining the front of the bushes, crushing each of the beautiful flowers in seconds. Bulma was so outraged by his crude actions that she felt just as awake as if someone had poured boiling hot water all over her body while she had been sleeping. 

"Stop, you loutish fiend!" Bulma shouted before he could do any more damage. She got onto her feet to rush over to stop him (disregarding the fact that she had no power to physically stop him), but her haste caused the tip of her left foot to trip against a rather large rock pressed into the ground. Bulma fell quite badly--her left ankle twisted as she landed and her face slammed into the ground while her mouth had been open at the time. Though she was most concerned about the pain and humiliation from falling as she did, Bulma only turned her head to spit out some dirt and grass that had been forced in after she had fallen. 

"Hmph, and you asked me if I really think you are as stupid as I say," Vegita said as he went over to her. He could only grin for a second or two before frowning at the expressions of pain he saw in her face. Though he was really having feelings akin to concern, he convinced himself that he was only annoyed that after taking the time to heal the woman, she was possibly injured again. 

Vegita crouched down beside her and hesitated lifting her up. He didn't want to seem as if he cared if she lied on the ground as if she was hurt. Vegita wanted to be glad the woman fell after trying to stop him. It was silly for her to think she possibly could, and it should have been amusing that the woman went to all this trouble just because he began to destroy the garden that she had taken a shine to. Vegita then wondered for a second if she would do something to harm herself after she saw him trying to kill Kakarotto. 

"Come on, it couldn't have been that bad," Vegita said. He began to get angrier, the more he felt as if he was worried about her well-being. 

Bulma gradually rolled over to her back and sat up. "God…" she said, rubbing her ankle. "That really hurt." She wiped off her face, smearing a little dirt upon it. 

"You were stupid to come after me anyway," Vegita said, his eyes on the ankle she kept rubbing. "You didn't sprain your weak ankle, did you?" 

"Does it matter if I did or not?" Bulma asked. She sighed and glanced at the flowers Vegita had crushed. "I won't really need my leg for anything soon." 

"Hmph." Vegita guessed if she wasn't complaining about it, it wasn't anything serious. However, he continued to watch her as if expecting her to show signs of real injury in the near future. "All this for some stupid garden." 

"I'm not sure if Saiyajins have the ability to feel emotions like regular people," Bulma said, her eyes still on the flattened flowers, "but maybe one day, you'll know what it's like to be concerned about someone outside of yourself." 

"Actually I _do_ know, but I don't know how anyone can stand such a feeling," Vegita said, not thinking about what he was saying. He still really didn't realize even after Bulma stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "Nan da (What is it)??" 

"You are concerned about someone besides yourself?" Bulma asked with a heavy doubt in her voice. 

"Na…nani??" Vegita then went back and realized what he had said. He cursed and stood straight again. "Grr! I really can't stand being around you… I always end up saying strange things!" 

"It has nothing to do with me," Bulma said, still giving him a look as if he was crazy. However, she decided if she tried to question him about what he said before, she would only make him angrier. Her little fall had taken away her burst of energy, and now she was feeling drowsy again. She lied back onto the ground, not caring if she was getting more dirty. "You Saiyajins bury the dead, right?" 

"Nani?" Vegita swore the woman's mind could move from one thing to another, it was incredible. 

"If you bury your dead, I wouldn't mind being buried here since no one's going to come here anyway," Bulma said softly. She was beginning to talk with less awareness, indicating to Vegita that she was falling asleep again. "Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't burn your dead." 

"We only bury those who have died while fighting," Vegita said, wondering how she could appear to be so content to sleep on the ground. 

"Even though it seems as though you only brought me here to ruin the garden for me," Bulma said, either not hearing Vegita or ignoring him, "I'm glad I got to see it one last time. It's even better than the ones I've been in at home. It's a pity it has to be here where it will be wasted…" 

Vegita shook his head, noticing at that point she had truly gone to sleep. "I knew the little fool would fall asleep here," he muttered, watching her sleep. "I really did waste my time coming here…" He moved closer to her in order to pick her up and leave the place, but found at the moment he didn't really feel like leaving. 

Vegita scowled down at Bulma, once again fascinated by the sight of her sleeping. He knew it was basically a repeat of the time he had tried to kill her in sleep and had failed. Of course, at that time Bulma was sleeping in her bed after being thoroughly cleaned by her bath and had the moonlight shining on her face. Bulma was hardly as glamorous as she had been on that night, but Vegita felt just as mesmerized by her sleeping face, despite the dirt smudges on her cheek and forehead, her partially soiled strands of blue hair, and the blade of grass stuck to her tiny lips. After a minute or two, Vegita felt compelled to clean her face, this being the first time he had seen it so soiled. The woman had some strange desire to keep herself clean even if it was of no great importance with her life ending in a short amount of time. Vegita had always thought that Bulma wasn't bad to look at when her mouth was closed, and now he realized that he had always liked the fact that she maintained herself so well, regardless of how silly it was. 

Vegita knew he was acting and thinking strangely, but he was a bit tired of trying to explain himself and knew that he hadn't effectively ever stopped himself from these abnormalities in his manner. Since he was far from the public eye and the woman herself was asleep, Vegita decided that he would temporarily humor these feelings and thus make them subside faster and easier. Struggling with them only seem to aggravate the strange things he did and felt. On some level he was relieved, but at the same time he felt as if some invisible person was controlling him. Regardless, Vegita's hand began to move toward Bulma's face. 

He carefully ran his thumb across each of her cheeks, taking care not to wake her up. The last thing he needed was for her to wake up and wonder what he was doing or for him to hear her voice. Soon her cheeks were free of the dirt and his glove was a bit dusty. Vegita made a mental note to change his gloves when he returned to his room. Lastly, Vegita brushed the blade of grass off Bulma's delicate lips. 

Vegita did try to stop himself from thinking of when he ridiculously was stroking her lips when she had been sleeping, but it was useless. Of course, when he couldn't help think of that incident, the urge rose once again. Vegita's scowl was becoming even more severe at that point, unable to prevent his finger from touching her lips. However, unlike the first time when he had became furious when he caught himself doing such a bizarre action, his scowl slowly melted away. Before he had been weak because he had been set on the task to kill Bulma and was instead admiring her face, but this time he had no such task to do. His thoughts then had been of killing Bulma, but Vegita's thoughts now were only of the reason Bulma thought Vegita had sent her to his room. 

This was the reason Vegita had replaced his scowl with a wide grin. Her little misconception wasn't only amusing him, but was also putting thoughts into his head. He had stopped touching her lips, but hadn't stopped looking at them. Vegita wondered if he shouldn't have taken the opportunity to see if Bulma had something else that could benefit him before she died. Bulma was attractive enough--probably more so than any other woman in Vegita--yet he hadn't really taken advantage of that fact. He guessed it was due to the fact the woman was so irritating when she spoke and drove him crazy to the point that he didn't notice she had decent physical qualities. It also was a slight hindrance that Bulma would struggle with him even with full knowledge that Vegita was incredibly stronger in comparison. However, Bulma was asleep at the moment, eliminating both complications. 

_I wonder how deeply she's sleeping…_ Vegita thought, watching her even more carefully for signs of waking up. He tapped Bulma's forehead well enough to wake her up if she was lightly sleeping, but Bulma remained the same. Vegita supposed she was really tired and was in a deep sleep. 

Vegita took a moment to clear his thoughts of Bulma's infuriating personality, which would discourage him from doing what he planned. Recalling some of the previous conversations they had had would inevitably make him too riled up. Vegita placed his hands on the ground, so that a hand was on either side of Bulma's head. He risked waking her up with what he intended to do, but he wouldn't have too much trouble explaining to her what was going on in his mind. Slowly Vegita began to drop his face toward Bulma's, keeping his eyes steady on her own closed ones and prepared to withdraw at the first sign she was waking up. He stopped when he felt that their lips were almost touching, giving Bulma the chance for a few seconds to wake up. Her eyes remained closed and Vegita felt her breath brushing against his lips in an even pattern. Thus, having thoroughly checked for Bulma's consciousness, Vegita gently covered Bulma's lips with his own. 

Vegita had only meant to kiss Bulma for about five seconds, but the pleasurable sensation seemed to increase the longer he kept his lips firmly against hers. He had thought he would be soon distracted by knowing her face had been pressed into the ground, but that wasn't a factor at all. He liked the warmth of Bulma's lips and almost wished she would wake up, so that he wouldn't have to be so carefully kissing her. Then again, it was better she was asleep and silent than awake and screeching about what he was doing. Eventually he did end the kiss, but a few seconds later he embraced her lips once again, yet only for a small fraction of the time the first kiss had been. Vegita sat straight again and raised a brow at Bulma whose face twitched a few times. 

"Vegita…" Bulma whispered in her sleep. 

Vegita's eyes grew wide. _Was the woman awake during that time?_ he wondered. He lifted up her hand and then released it, her hand limply falling back onto the ground. _No, I suppose she is just dreaming… I hate to admit that I'm curious as to what she is dreaming about._

Vegita snorted and took Bulma into his arms. "I probably should have taken her to my bed instead of this garden," he commented as he started to carry her out of the garden. "At least it seems like she could have been the most useful there." Vegita wondered with a snicker if he could take the opportunity to do so before he killed her. The thought of kissing her still lingering in his mind, he didn't think it was such a horrible idea.   
  
******   
  


"Kakarotto!" The voice paused before becoming louder and less tolerant. "Kakarotto!!" 

Gokuu's eyes slowly opened, giving him a view of the white floor. Still not completely awake, he panicked for a moment, believing he had become blind. During his alarm he leaned too hard against the sword his head had been rested upon and fell fall on his face. 

"I don't know why Vegita-Ouji would let such an unbalanced person compete in the tournament," the Saiyajin voice said, "but then again, it's not as if you'll be living for much longer." 

Gokuu sat up so that he was resting on his knees, rubbed his face for a moment, and then picked up the sword he had dropped. "How long was I sleeping like that?" he wondered. He smiled as he felt the imprint of the sword's handle in his forehead. Obviously he had used that for a pillow after he had fallen asleep in a kneeling position. 

"Come on, Kakarotto," the guard said. "The tournament's starting soon and I'm responsible for bringing you to the arena." 

"Only you?" Gokuu asked, his smile widening. He knew it was annoying the man, but Gokuu couldn't help it. 

"Yes," the Saiyajin snapped. "All the other guards have gone to the arena already." 

"Sou ka (I see)," Gokuu said. He stood and stretched. "Do I have time to change? As you can see I've ripped these clothes quite a bit, and I'd prefer not to look like something the cat dragged in." 

"Hmph, do what you like," the Saiyajin said. He motioned toward the door. "You have ten minutes to be in the arena." 

"Yoshi (All right)!" Gokuu was sure that he hadn't gotten more than thirty minutes of sleep, but he felt ready to go. He hated all the suspense that had been created and was eager to get the tournament started. He could only hope that his last minute training would benefit him enough to prevent his death. 

  
  
******   
  


Bulma supposed the only reason she didn't scream when the first thing she saw as she woke up was Pikaru's and Sukuwa's faces was that she was still partially asleep. To her it had seemed she had only been asleep for about a minute. She even wondered if it could be true; Vegita had kept her up for a quite a while last night and the tournament started early in the morning. Bulma yawned and rubbed her eyes, wishing that she could get just ten more minutes of sleep. 

"Is it time already?" Bulma said, unable to remove the sleepy whine from her voice. 

"Vegita-Ouji said that you wouldn't want to miss what he had in store for you today," Sukuwa said. He laughed, having complete knowledge of what Vegita was planning. 

"Besides, we're competing in the tournament today," Pikaru added, "but we're higher-ranked, so we won't have to fight as soon as the others." 

Bulma hopped off her bed, slightly annoyed they were talking about the tournament since she had just been woken up and slightly interested since Gokuu was going to participate in it. "What about Son-kun?" she asked. She yawned, taking no notice of their confusion. 

"Who?" Pikaru said. He looked to Sukuwa who shrugged his shoulders. 

Bulma sighed. "I mean, um…what do you people call him?" she said. She put a hand to head, trying to start her brain up. "Oh, yes--Kakarotto." 

"Oh, you're talking about _him_," Sukuwa said. "Kakarotto will start competing during the first round. If he's lucky he might even make it to the second round. I mean, it shouldn't be that hard for him to compete with those closer to his rank." 

Bulma stepped up to a basin of water that had been set upon her dresser. "What happens if he doesn't make it to the second round?" she asked, looking at her reflection in the water. She noticed how tired her face looked as well as worried. 

"Nothing," Sukuwa said, shrugging. Bulma turned to look at him, seeing the poorly hidden smile. 

"What happens to him??" Bulma asked again, but directed the question to Pikaru who also had the hardly veiled smile. 

"Kakarotto will be honored with a spar with His Majesty," Pikaru said after a few seconds of continuing the secrecy. His eyes twinkled with ill things to come. "Then, of course…" 

Bulma frowned at their obvious delight of Vegita's sick little plan. "So, once Son-kun loses, Vegita will kill him," she said. 

"I'm sure that event is the only thing the Prince is looking forward to," Sukuwa said. "Originally, he was only going to fight whoever managed to make it to the final round. Now he gets to do that and give everyone a nice show before he does." 

_Saiyajins are so sickening!_ Bulma thought, turning back to the basin of water. "Will I get to see Vegita…Ouji…before the tournament?" she asked. 

"Iie, but you will be sitting with the King, an honor much too great for a woman like you, I say," Sukuwa said, now the one frowning. 

Bulma's eyes widened. "Vegita-Ou??" she said. The entire time she had been in Vegita she had yet to see him. Bulma had thought Vegita didn't think she was important enough to allow her to see his father. 

"Yes, woman," Pikaru confirmed. He looked at her impatiently. "Apparently he is eager to meet you, so I suggest you hurry up." 

"I…" Bulma couldn't help but think that Vegita's father had to be much worse than Vegita was, for it was King Vegita who raised the short terror. Vegita-Ou was the King of the Saiyajins who even Vegita took orders from. She didn't want to leave her only impression to King Vegita that she dressed as if she was a commoner. "I want to wash my face and change my clothes if I may." 

"Fine," Pikaru said, getting a nod from Sukuwa. "We'll wait outside for ten minutes, and we will come back in if you're not out by then." 

"Thank you ever so much," Bulma muttered as they two left her room. She sighed and stared at her reflection again, finally noticing that her face didn't look as dirty as she had thought it was. Bulma knew she had tried to wipe the dirt off her face, but she also sensed that the dirt had only smeared. If Bulma didn't know better, she would have thought someone wiped her face with a cloth or something. 

Bulma shook her head and smiled, dismissing that thought. The only person she could see doing that was Gokuu, and she was sure he had been no where near her last night. Bulma cupped water into her hands and splashed it over her face, gently rubbing her wet hands against her skin. Eventually Bulma stopped bring the water to her face and simply brought her face into the water, scrubbing her face and hair as while they were submerged. She paid special attention to her mouth which had had a more intimate meeting with the ground than the rest of her face. 

Bulma drew in a large breath as she brought her head out of the water, wrung out her hair so that it was no longer dripping, and dried her face. She smiled, feeling a little more awake and clean, and then she began to get a strange, but pleasant feeling that she had dreamt something important last night. The feeling was quite intense, causing Bulma to try hard to think of what it was while she dabbed the cloth over her face. Her movements began to slow as she tried her best to remember the details of the dream, and bits and pieces of the dream slowly came back to her. Bulma could remember being in the room and being embraced by someone whose face was not quite clear to her yet. 

"Who is the world was--" Bulma began before she wiped her lips with the cloth. Suddenly her she saw a large segment of her dream--Vegita and she were joined together in a passionate kiss. Bulma dropped the cloth in her hands and backed away from the basin as if the water and the cloth had suddenly burst into flames. The water and the cloth may have not, but Bulma felt as if her entire body had. 

Before Bulma could attempt to erase that image from her mind, the entire dream came back to her. She had been sitting quietly on the edge of her bed, as she often did while locked up in her room before Vegita stormed in as usual. However, the instant Vegita entered, Bulma sensed that his visit wasn't as usual; the expression on his face was resolute as if he had finally made up his mind about something, and he walked toward her with a slow pace as if he were trying to sneak up on something he planned to kill. Bulma could hear herself asking Vegita what he wanted and after getting no answer, seeing herself rise from the bed and slowly backing into a wall in response to Vegita's slow but steady approach toward her. Bulma could remember that she had wanted to run, but her body wouldn't respond to her commands. Vegita advanced toward her so that his body was almost resting against hers. Bulma had asked him a final time what he had wanted before Vegita held her face firmly in his hands and then drew her face towards his, so that their lips solidly pressed together. 

Bulma was more anxious about recalling the whole dream because she now knew that before the dream had ended, she recalled that not only did she begin to enjoy the kiss Vegita had forced upon her, but Bulma also wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed Vegita back. Bulma wanted to be disgusted and screaming her head off, but all she could do was stare into space and continue to blush. She couldn't come up with one good excuse as to why she had the dream. Bulma hadn't ever had one single feeling of attraction toward Vegita--she certainly never had any feelings of liking him either. Of all the things Bulma could dream about, she dreamt about the one person who caused her the most suffering and in a manner that she hadn't ever dreamt about any real person. Bulma dropped to her knees and covered her rather warm face. 

"Why did I dream about him like that??" Bulma quietly asked herself. "The last time I thought he was going to kill me, I dreamt of him killing me. So why is it this time I dream about him kissing me??" 

Bulma jumped as she heard someone pound on her door. "I hope you're almost done, woman," Pikaru said from the other side of the door. "We'll expect you out of your room in three minutes." 

Bulma held her hand over her heart, noticing that it was beating rapidly. She needed to calm herself down, especially if she was going to be seeing King Vegita shortly. Sukuwa and Pikaru were also possibilities of being witnesses of her uneasy manner, if she didn't get her act together. Quickly Bulma splashed some more water on her face, dried off once again, pinned her damp hair into a bun, and changed into one of her regular dresses. For the moment, she attributed her dream to her first thoughts of why Vegita had brought her to his room. It was the only excuse she could think of at such short notice, and it was easier to believe if she tried. By the time she exited her room and stood with Sukuwa and Pikaru, Bulma at least appeared as if she was herself. Neither of the guards detected anything unusual, both muttering about how lucky she was to meet their King. 

_Good thing I'm dying soon,_ Bulma thought, doing her best not to fall behind as Sukuwa and Pikaru led the way to the arena. _I think this place has finally made really crazy._   
  
******   
  


Vegita didn't know where his father was looking at, the royal seat being a private balcony above the other seats in the arena, but the Saiyajin no Ouji continued to stare up at the older Vegita for the time being. The tournament was going to start in a few minutes and he had yet to see Bulma where he had wanted her. She was to take the seat he would have been sitting in if Vegita wasn't going to participate in the fighting. Vegita had taken the precaution an hour before to tell his father not to try anything funny. Vegita-Ou had a habit of saying more than what was needed or at least more than what Vegita liked. If the view from up there wasn't so good, he would have kept Bulma from ever having to meet his father. Vegita had decided on a comprise: Bulma would get a first-class view of Kakarotto dying, but she would also be exposed to his father. It was basically an even trade, though Vegita wasn't sure Vegita-Ou would behave. Vegita swore that he would kill his father if he said anything strange to Bulma that made her have strange thoughts about Vegita. Vegita-Ou was just the type to discredit Vegita like that. 

"Grr…" Vegita mumbled, wishing he could have a telepathic connection with his father for only the length of the tournament. "That old fool is definitely going to say something I won't like. Luckily, the tournament should be interesting enough that he'll do more watching and less talking." 

"Welcome, everyone, to the 234th tournament in the Vegita Arena!" an announcer said who was clearly not Saiyajin. His voice was too pleasant for him to be associated with the Saiyajin race. "It seems that all the competitors have arrived, so we will be starting shortly! Before we do, though, I'd like to take this time to announce how the tournament will be conducted! First of all, the competitors were selected by…" 

Vegita adverted his attention from his father, aware that the tournament was now beginning. He frowned, but took the seat he had arranged for himself just outside the battling square. From there he would have the best view of the fights, but would also risk having the competitors who were thrown from the ring crashing into him. It was a good possibility, but Vegita would easily knock anyone like that away from him if such a thing occurred. Vegita crossed his hands over his chest and waited for the announcer, one of the few foreigners that hadn't been ejected from or imprisoned in his kingdom. The audience, though mostly the Saiyajins who weren't lucky enough to compete, had the remainder of the other foreigners that had been allowed to stay in Vegita and had been permitted to watch the tournament. 

Vegita grinned as he caught sight of Gokuu, poking his head from the area where the competitors entered the square. "Soon all my preparations will have paid off," Vegita said to himself. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "That square before you is going to be soaking with your blood, Kakarotto."   
  
  
  


To be continued...   
  


--Once again the whole bomb thing... just kind pretend it all makes sense and all. It's all part of me leading up to the end of the fic as well as hinting at a possible sequel. Ja ne! 


	13. Chapter 13

*Author's Notes: Uh, yeah, it's been a looooong while. Sorry for those who were waiting or felt the need to email me. Thanks to all who did email, inquiring (not in a pushy way) what was up with the next chapter. Well, I hate, absolute **hate** to write fighting scenes, and I was forced to write them in this chapter. They are so damn difficult to write and I suck at writing them. Anyway, I had meant to make Chapter Thirteen the end of all the fighting and the chapter before the conclusion, but all the little talking scenes I had in between the fighting took up more pages than I excepted, so the tournament will be concluded in the next chapter. I hope the next chapter won't be so short... Who knows, but I decided to get this chapter out before Christmas. I hope no one hates my bad fighting scenes, nor is annoyed by my pattern of adding talking in between the fights. I did that whenever I kinda got stuck in the fight... Yeah, so I cheated a little--whatever! Please enjoy, at any rate! ^_^   
  


** Chapter Thirteen**

  
  
  


Bardaku wondered if Kakarotto was merely stupid or entirely fearless. He watched the fool from afar, noting how excited he seemed to be even with full knowledge of what awaited him. It wasn't as if others around him were excited--it was a tournament, after all, and there were few true Saiyajins that weren't excited about that. Still, in Bardaku's opinion, he would much rather die from some weak disease than know he might have to be killed by the strongest Vegita of all time. He could admit to having some fear of the young prince for sure. 

"Oi, Bardaku, you haven't forgotten our deal, right?" 

Bardaku shifted his gaze upon his closer and older son. "Deal?" 

"We made a bet about this tournament, remember?" Radditsu reminded him. 

"Hmph," Bardaku said. He closed his eyes and leaned further into the wall he was against. 

"What's wrong?" Radditsu said. He looked in Gokuu's direction and grinned. "You worried about Kakarotto?" 

"Hardly." 

"I heard that Vegita-Ouji changed his mind about wanting to kill Kakarotto himself," Radditsu added. "Any who competes against him has full permission to kill him, if they choose to do so." 

Bardaku opened one eye, glancing at Gokuu again. "Sou ka na (Is that right)?" he said. "That's surprisingly merciful of His Highness." 

Radditsu laughed and held up a fist. "If he isn't killed in his first round, I'd love to be the one to cut off his head," he said. He began walking away, keeping the grin on his face. "I'm going watch Kakarotto's first fight." 

Gokuu soon left the room, heading for the fighting area, and Bardaku closed his eye again. "He's up against Toma," he recalled. _Since it's Toma,_ he thought, _Radditsu might not get the chance to compete against Kakarotto..._   
  
*******   
  


Bulma felt like someone was squeezing her heart when she saw Gokuu get into place for his first round. She had an almost perfect view from her seat, which she knew had been Vegita's objective. She could also perfectly see Vegita seated near the fighting area. From her view he was sitting so that his back was almost completely to her, but at the angle he was seated, she didn't miss the huge grin on his face. That bothered her more than even seeing Gokuu's opponent appear; even from the distance Bulma could note the conniving character of the Prince's expression and felt something was amiss. Bulma didn't know how the situation could get worse, but she knew if it could, Vegita would know how to make it so. 

Bulma took in a few good breaths and glanced at King Vegita sitting beside her. She hadn't known what to think when she was finally allowed to meet the King of the Saiyajins. Of course, knowing that this was the man that raised Vegita, Bulma had few hopes that the meeting would go smoothly. However, Bulma was surprised that King Vegita had few things in common with his son. The older Vegita was probably the first polite Saiyajin she had ever met. Bulma didn't believe his manner at first; every Saiyajin she had met regarded her with a veiled smirk or a disdainful grimace. It truly blew Bulma's mind. The Saiyajin that actually ruled over the others was actually a civil person? Eventually, after talking to King Vegita about how she didn't mind the situation she was in as long as Gokuu survived, Bulma guessed that King Vegita had picked up a skill that he never passed onto his son--diplomacy. Though she had the sense that King Vegita didn't think she was as exalted as himself and his son, she did believe that he wasn't just feigning interest in what she had to say. 

Bulma blinked as King Vegita began to chuckle and looked in her direction. "My son is a crafty person, I'll give him that," he said. 

"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Bulma asked. She could almost never bring herself to address Vegita properly, but she was more cautious around Vegita-Ou since she wasn't sure what would happen if she insulted the King of the Saiyajins. Besides, Bulma knew that Vegita-Ou was someone that gave orders to Vegita, meaning that he had to be powerful enough to be able to do so. Bulma doubted that Vegita would obey anyone who was weak. 

"This match should answer your question," King Vegita said. _I know exactly what you're up to, Ouji,_ he thought. _Hmph, I wonder if you're being compassionate or simply trying to cause the woman more anxiety..._

Bulma raised a brow and turned her attention back to the area below where she could see Gokuu smiling as if no danger were coming his way. She wasn't surprised he looked that way, but she thought for once he would think of how much hot water he was in. He could easily die by Vegita's hands and leave his family fatherless. Bulma sighed, clasping her hands together and knew he wasn't even thinking of such things. These were the times she was aware that Gokuu was truly a Saiyajin at heart.   
  
*******   
  


Gokuu was grateful that his first opponent was someone he recognized. Granted that he didn't know anything about the Saiyajin, Gokuu was sure he'd learn more about him during a match than he would talking. He was eager to fight with anyone, but he preferred to fight with someone who claimed to be a friend of his father's. If anything, fighting with Toma had the potential to give Gokuu an impression of his father's own style. He had the impression that his less-than-friendly father (even by Saiyajin terms) wouldn't have friends that weren't like him in some way. Toma was smiling back at Gokuu, so at the moment Gokuu wasn't sure what the two had in common. 

"Kakarotto, it's gonna be shame you're gonna have to die," Toma said. He held his sword straight in front of him and seemed to get into a prepared stance. 

"Well, I have hope that Vegita won't kill me," Gokuu said. The tip of his sword remained pointed to the floor. 

Toma shook his head. "I wasn't talking about Vegita-Ouji," he said. 

"Hmm?" 

"Obviously the Prince doesn't want to leave the job of killing you to himself anymore," Toma said. He grinned. "I don't have anything against you, but if I were the same situation, I'd rather be killed by anyone but a Vegita. Think of it as doing you a favor." 

Not even Gokuu could be stupid enough to not figure out what Toma was saying. _Vegita..._ he thought, glancing at the one he thought of, _he's trying to make sure I'm killed without him having to lift a finger. That's a little strange. I thought he really wanted to kill me himself… Hmm, I wonder what he's up to. Could the reason have something to do with Bulma?_

"All right, our two competitors seem ready!" the announcer said, outside of the square. "Let the next match begin!" 

Gokuu thoughts ceased of Vegita when Toma charged at him and their swords met. _Considering that all my opponents are probably going to try to kill me,_ he thought, exchanging blows with Toma, _I'll have to knock the person unconscious or kill them first. Since I don't really want to have to kill anyone, I guess I'm gonna have try to knock everyone out._

"Well, so far you're not a complete embarrassment to Bardaku," Toma said, trying to force back Gokuu's blade with his own. 

"Thanks, I guess," Gokuu said, having practically no trouble keeping his blade protectively in front of him. He smiled and gradually began to turn the tables on his opponent. Little by little Toma became the one being forced back. At that point Gokuu knew he could end the fight any time he chose, but he hadn't had much fun while he was in Vegita, so he wanted to enjoy himself a little. Also, the crowd was distracting him a little with their constant shouts for his defeat. 

"Don't go easy on him, Toma!" someone from the audience shouted. "Take off one of his arms!" 

_The Saiyajins sure don't like me,_ Gokuu thought, chuckling. 

Toma gritted his teeth and dug his feet into the floor, yet he still continued to slide along the floor. "Kuso (Shit)..." he muttered. Deciding that he wasn't going to win the pushing contest with Gokuu, he allowed Gokuu's opposing force to back him up so that the two were now standing at a more favorable distance. Toma immediately prepared himself for an following attack from Gokuu, but the other Saiyajin was simply standing across from him with the same smile from before. The older Saiyajin understood a little more why he wasn't favored by the majority of the Saiyajins, if not all of them. 

"Come on, Kakarotto!" Toma said. "Let's see what you can really do!" 

Gokuu blinked, scratching his head with his free hand. "Hmm..." he said, thinking whether or not he should accept Toma's offer. 

"Cut that lousy excuse for a Saiyajin to pieces!" Gokuu distinctly heard from the audience. 

"Show him what a real Saiyajin is like!" another said. 

Gokuu sighed and made himself look more serious. "Guess it's time for me to show my Saiyajin side," he said. He smirked and held his sword in a manner that appeared he was preparing to strike.   
  
*******   
  


"What made you change your mind, Vegita-sama?" Nappa said, standing next to Vegita's chair. He snorted at Gokuu's now serious stance. 

"I finally had the time to think about things," Vegita said, his eyes never moving from his view of Gokuu. "That woman will be more worried when she figures out I'm not the only one allowed to kill Kakarotto. Besides, this way I won't have to lower myself to kill that insignificant nuisance and the woman still gets what she deserves." 

"Heh," Nappa said. He glanced up where King Vegita and Bulma sat. "You really are out to get that woman, aren't you?" 

"Even if I wasn't, I want Kakarotto dead by any means," Vegita said. He lost the grin he had. "He's crossed my path far many times during his short stay here." 

"Sou ka (I see)," Nappa said, dropping his eyes back on the Prince. "Still, Vegita-sama, what about the recent attacks on Vegita? Perhaps we should have pushed back the tournament to take the time to find out who did this." 

"And let our enemy think he has us scared??" Vegita said. He smiled when he saw Gokuu move speedily past Toma, stop just behind him and swung his sword at Toma's back. "No need to worry about it yet, Nappa. I know who planted those bombs; we just need to decide what our retaliation will be." 

"You know??" Nappa said, his attention on Vegita, so he missed the fact that Toma just managed to block Gokuu's attack from behind. 

Vegita glanced at Nappa for a second, not wanting to miss Gokuu's next move. "Don't sound so surprised, Nappa," he said. "I am capable of figuring out such matters on my own." 

"Of...Of course, Vegita-sama..." Nappa said. He swallowed and took the time to think about his next choice of words while he watched Gokuu force Toma's block backwards so that the other Saiyajin fell onto his back. "Who is responsible?" 

Vegita was quiet until he saw Toma get back on his feet and attempt to pay Gokuu back for what he had done. "If I tell you now, you won't be able to concentrate on the tournament," he finally said. "When all of this is over, I will hold an official meeting to discuss the matter." 

"Wa...Wakatta (I...I understand)," Nappa said. He didn't have a clue who the culprit was, but from the way Vegita had said it, Nappa was sure that the person responsible wasn't anyone to sneeze at.   
  
*******   
  


Toma missed Gokuu for the fourth time. "Damnit!" he said when his sword cut through nothing but air. "How the hell can you move so fast??" 

"I'm not moving _that_ fast," Gokuu said, grinning. He was backed up by the Saiyajins in the audience who kept yelling about what Toma was doing missing so many times. Gokuu rubbed the back of his head, wishing that the other Saiyajins wouldn't think he was so easy to beat. 

"Kuso...this time I'll--" Toma said. He raised his sword, just beginning to charge at Gokuu again. 

Gokuu's brows lowered and he charged at Toma at the same time, yet with a greater speed and a different intention. At first glance, since most of the audience was amazed by Gokuu's quick movements, it seemed as if Gokuu had tried to slice off Toma's head, but had missed because he had moved so quickly he had only ended up behind him. However, Toma, who hadn't even gotten the opportunity to swing, had stopped short and was momentarily frozen. Gokuu too was still, waiting to hear a particular sound. The crowd had quieted down a little, making the sound of nearly the top half of Toma's sword falling to the floor to be quite audible. After hearing the metallic sound Gokuu had desired, he turned so that he was facing Toma's back and grinned. 

"Ho...How..." Toma said, slowly turning to Gokuu with the half sword. 

"It's all in the speed…and the fact my sword's a better one than yours," Gokuu said with the same grin. He let his face return to a serious expression once again as he sheathed his sword at his side, came quickly at Toma again, and delivered a blow upwards to his chin, knocking Toma high up into the air. Gokuu didn't look satisfied until he saw Toma fall back onto the floor, sliding a little on the surface, and remain motionless where he had landed. He had held back enough to prevent causing fatal damage to Toma's neck, so he had no worries when he was assured that his opponent was unconscious. Even after the silence of the audience had erupted into outrage, Gokuu's smile didn't fade. In fact he remembered the main reason he had to keep alive and looked up to Bulma and gave her a thumbs-up. That motion didn't go over well with the Saiyajins, but Gokuu was hardly discouraged by their discontent.   
  
*******   
  


Bulma breathed in deeply as if she hadn't been breathing for hours. "Thank God..." she murmured. She smiled at Gokuu, though she wasn't sure he couldn't see it from the distance. "Son-kun will be living at least until his next round is over..." 

"You haven't noticed it yet, have you?" King Vegita said, grinning not unlike Bulma had seen Vegita so many times. It reminded her of a grin one would have if one took pleasure in other's misfortunes (which of course Vegita certainly did). 

"Noticed what?" Bulma said. She frowned when the King indicated he had no intention of answering and simply kept on grinning. _Is there more trouble in store for Gokuu than I have noticed?_ she wondered. _All those Saiyajins in the audience calling for Son-kun's opponent to kill him... Wait a minute--was that Saiyajin trying to kill him?? No...No way! Vegita would never let any take away the pleasure of doing it himself. He wants to make sure all my suffering is by his hands personally._

"I'm glad Kakarotto seems to be able to put up an interesting fight," King Vegita said. "He may even make it past a few more rounds with that speed of his. Too bad he's destined to die this day." 

Bulma gripped the armrests of her chair tightly. "Son-kun won't let me down..." she said, though her voice was a little shaky. "He never has...he never will." 

King Vegita laughed. "Amazing how people such as your kind can have such faith in people," he said, looking at her with great amusement. "That faith becomes so strong that it soon turns into denial of reality." 

Bulma frowned, her doubt fading away after hearing the King's jeering of her confidence in Gokuu. "Son-kun won't even let Vegita beat him," she said, not caring that she hadn't referred to Vegita properly. 

"We'll see, Capsule Princess," King Vegita said. Turning his attention back to the fighting area, he just caught sight of Gokuu exiting the area. Toma was being taken away off to somewhere where he could be examined for his injuries. "I just hope he'll be as entertaining in his next match." 

Bulma leaned her head against her hand. _Saiyajins..._ she thought, glad Gokuu wouldn't be fighting until the next round. _They have to be the only people who enjoy watching someone fighting for their life._   
  
*******   
  


"Oi, are you listening to me?" Radditsu said. His father hadn't even flinched when he told him of the news. "Oi, Bardaku!" 

"Keep it down, you idiot," Bardaku said. His eyes were closed again. "I can hear the noise of the crowd from over here. If Kakarotto had been killed already I would have heard cheering." 

"That son of yours must have nine lives," some Saiyajin entering the room said. He snorted. "Well, he'll never survive against the higher-ranked fighters. His death's gonna be real painful no matter what." 

Radditsu grinned after the Saiyajin was finished laughing and had passed by. "I'm gonna win my first round for sure," he promised, "and then I'm gonna make sure I'm the next one to fight Kakarotto." 

This was enough to get Bardaku to open his eyes. "Radditsu, do you still intend to win the bet we made?" he asked. 

"What are you saying??" His grin had vanished. 

"You just told me that Kakarotto beat Toma without getting a scratch on him. I thought Kakarotto was no better than any other soldier, but if he beat Toma so easily, he is at least above the level of the average soldier." 

"You're trying to say that Kakarotto will beat me if I go against him??" Bardaku closed his eyes, giving Radditsu as clear an answer as if Bardaku had replied. "That would never happen! A Saiyajin like him is just lucky that he even knows how to use a sword!" 

"I don't understand why my offspring turned out to be so foolish," Bardaku muttered. "Must be that woman's fault..." 

"Grr!" Radditsu said. That was about the worst insult Radditsu could think of--being likened to his mother. "Just watch me! I'm going to send Kakarotto back to where he belongs--the grave!" 

Bardaku was silent until he heard Radditsu's retreating steps (more like stomps) completely disappear. He sighed and settled himself to wait for his first round. "I don't who is stupider: Radditsu or Kakarotto," he muttered.   
  
*******   
  


"Heh, I still can't believe Kakarotto was skilled enough to make it past his first round," Nappa commented once again. The first round of the tournament was nearly over and he still was amazed. "I thought at least he would have gotten cut." 

"Hmph, Kakarotto..." Vegita said, brows lowering. "I know if he doesn't get killed today, I'll regret it. But I don't have any doubts he'll be killed." 

"Sou, he's like an insect," Nappa said. His comment was based on the fact Gokuu continued to watch all the other fights from the sidelines, fluttering around like he was having the most fun ever seeing the others fight. "I feel sorry for any Saiyajin who loses to a weakling like him." 

Vegita smiled a little. "Well, at least Kakarotto will put a good show before he dies," he said. He turned in his seat so he could look up at Bulma. "Most of Vegita despises him, so his next opponent should try to make his death painful and bloody." 

_The Vegita line never fails to be cruel,_ Nappa thought as he grinned at Vegita. _They just seem to get crueler each generation..._   
  
*******   
  


Bulma pushed herself back against the chair, unwillingly meeting eyes with Vegita from afar. Even with the distance between them, she could feel his eyes burning into her and the chill that always went with one of his intense stares. She didn't know what the reason was for him to look up at her at this moment, but she had a feeling that it wasn't anything good. Vegita's eyes remained on her for well over a minute before he smirked (which was just as visible as his eyes) and turned back in his seat. When Bulma felt relaxed again, as if someone had stopped choking her, she frowned at herself for letting Vegita get to her like that. Obviously he was trying to shake her up even more than she already was, though Bulma suspected his gaze upon her was more than merely a mind game; Vegita's eyes seemed to say he knew something she didn't know. Bulma glanced at King Vegita, recalling earlier he had made similar look when Gokuu's match had begun. The Saiyajin King was watching the other matches with interest, his hand held to his bearded chin. He hadn't said much after practically telling Bulma she was a fool to put so much faith into Gokuu, but Bulma had preferred it that way. The King was a bit less vexing to talk to than his son, but he was a Saiyajin nonetheless and having conversations with him wasn't completely pleasant. 

_Son-kun looks like a kid that was given a plate of cookies,_ Bulma thought, turning her attention back upon the event below. She blinked as she noticed the Saiyajin stepping onto the white platform. _That is--!_

"If things go as I think they will, Bardaku shouldn't lose," King Vegita said, interrupting Bulma's thoughts. He chuckled as he saw the match begin. "This tournament may turn out to be better than I even expected." 

Bulma was getting just a bit irritated at the King's vague comments. She was sure he was seeing something unfold that she didn't, but at the moment she didn't take too much time to contemplate his most recent words. The Capsule Princess drew most of her attention upon Bardaku, noticing the resemblance between him and Gokuu was incredible. Bulma had to make sure it wasn't Gokuu by observing the Capsule Knight intently watching the match from the side. Looking at them back and forth, Bulma realized the only striking distinction Bardaku had from his son was the scar and the scowl that never seemed to leave his face. Watching Bardaku fight in a manner that she had seen most of the Saiyajins fight (which seemed to be a determination to make one's opponent bleed), Bulma was slightly unnerved at the fact it made her feel as though she were watching Gokuu fight in his true manner. Gokuu did tend to become a different person when he seriously fought another person, but Bulma had never sensed Gokuu desiring to hurt someone unless he had no other choice. He certainly didn't take joy in it as Saiyajins did, though Bulma never saw Bardaku with an expression other than his scowl. Still, like the other matches, the fight progressed until one opponent became bloodier than the other. 

Bulma put a hand to her mouth, wondering if she could survive the sight of the rest of the matches. Bardaku had stepped out of the area with little damage, while his opponent was lying on his side while his arm was leaking out a pool of blood beside him. Apparently Bardaku had cut him well enough that he could no longer hold a sword with that hand any more. Bulma wasn't sure, but she figured that the Saiyajin's other arm had been broken when Bardaku had bent it in an unnatural manner. She had learned from some of the other matches that Saiyajins weren't always beaten when their swords were out of their hands. A few of the fights had contained a great deal of hand-to-hand combat, which wasn't entirely less bloodier than when they fought with swords. 

Gokuu's intense expression hadn't lifted even when his father was gone, Bulma noticed, and her friend continued to look where Bardaku had gone as if he expected the Saiyajin to return. Bulma wondered what was going on in Gokuu's mind, especially since she hadn't had the chance to talk to Gokuu about his father. Yes, Bulma had known that Gokuu had met his Saiyajin family, but the details of how the meeting went hadn't been discussed since Gokuu's propriety was staying alive at the moment. She could guess that it wasn't a joyous occasion, but that was to be expected when Saiyajins were concerned. Bulma wondered, however, how Gokuu felt about his brother and father. Caught up in all the misery she had been in, she hadn't taken the time to consider Gokuu's issues. She sighed, realizing she might never get the chance to find out, and decided to tune out the rest of the matches until it was Gokuu's turn again. For the moment, Bulma was powerless to do anything but sit and wait for the outcome of her friend's matches.   
  
*******   
  


"The second round matches have been decided, so we are ready to begin!" the announcer said, after there had been a short break. "First up we have..." 

"Ha!" Radditsu said, recently finding out who his next opponent was. "In about two matches, I get to fight Kakarotto!" Other Saiyajins in the room seemed amused by the turn of events and encouraged Radditsu to teach his little brother the true meaning of being a Saiyajin. Radditsu bragged to the others about how easy it was going to be to beat Gokuu, but planned to make sure that he suffered before he died. Bardaku was leaning against the same wall he had always been, save the time he had left it to compete in his first match, and snorted at his son's confidence. Even with some many Saiyajins talking around him and the noise from the present match flowing into the room, Radditsu still picked up on the distinct noise his father made and turned to glare at him. Bardaku looked back at him with little interest and little intention to say anything. 

"You have something to say, Bardaku?" Radditsu asked. 

"When I do, I'll say it," Bardaku replied. His expression didn't change when Radditsu approached him. 

"Are you gonna watch me kill Kakarotto, or are you gonna stand back here and make me have to tell you about it later?" Bardaku was silent, and Radditsu anger rose. "Heh, either way is fine. I just thought this time you'd like to see Kakarotto's dead body. Don't want him rising from the grave a second time." 

"That's certainly true," Bardaku muttered when he was sure that Radditsu had left.   
  
*******   
  


"Nan da (What's this)?" Nappa laughed after the announcer introduced the next pair of fighters. "Kakarotto against Radditsu?" He grinned at his prince. "Vegita-sama, this can't be a coincidence." 

"Of course not," Vegita said. He settled himself back for an interesting fight. "I happen to know that Radditsu is one of the least happiest to hear about Kakarotto's return. He probably wants Kakarotto dead more than I do, so I thought I'd give him a chance to get rid of the eyesore himself. He seems to be pleased about that." 

"I had wondered why you had left your seat before," Nappa said. "This is gonna be the best tournament yet." 

"Without a doubt," Vegita agreed. He watched Radditsu and Gokuu carefully, not wanting to miss a second of their fight.   
  
*******   
  


"Looks like I predicted your intentions perfectly, Ouji," King Vegita mused. He laughed, as if the present match were a big joke. 

"Oh, God..." Bulma said, unconsciously leaning forward in her chair. "That's Son-kun's brother, isn't it??" 

"Aa, and he seems as though he can't wait to fight Kakarotto," King Vegita said. 

Bulma eyes widened as she noticed that Radditsu seemed to be too pleased to fight Gokuu. Just from the way he stood apart from his sibling, Bulma could tell that he had been anticipating this for a long time. That worried her a bit more than if it had been some random Saiyajin; Bulma knew that Radditsu had specifically asked to bring Gokuu to Vegita, which made her think that Radditsu had little desire for his brother to live. It wasn't a secret that all the Saiyajins hated Gokuu, but Bulma hadn't really taken the time until that very second to realize that Radditsu wanted Gokuu dead. That meant to her that Radditsu would do everything in his power to harm Gokuu before he would have to face Vegita. It was bad enough her friend was going to have to face Vegita without him being battered up. 

"At least Radditsu can't kill him..." Bulma said softly. Her attention was brought back upon Vegita-Ou laughing at what she had said. "What is so funny, Your Majesty?" 

"You still haven't figured it out?" He smiled at her as if she were a child when she frowned at him. "You managed to outsmart Ouji well enough to escape from your room two times, but can't even figure out his objective in this tournament?" 

Bulma knew she shouldn't have been surprised that the King had heard about her two escapes, but she still was surprised nonetheless. After all, the Saiyajin King had almost appeared as if he were merely a theoretical figure; Bulma had even began to think that the King was so exclusive that only the most important information reached his ears. Obviously there were few things that he didn't know about. 

"If there is something I am ignorant about, please inform me," Bulma requested, still frowning. 

"Kakarotto can be killed by whomever he competes against," King Vegita said just as the two below began to fight. He grinned at Bulma's grasp. "Hopefully Radditsu will succeed in killing the 'Lost Saiyajin.'" 

"No!" Bulma said, though she noticed how intense the fight between the brothers was. It was certainly a step up from when Gokuu was fighting Toma. "Vegita wouldn't let anyone else take away the pleasure of doing it himself!" 

When Bulma listened closely, the two Vegitas had very similar laughs. "I know Ouji very well, thus I am very aware of his intentions," he said. "He knows that you will dread each match Kakarotto competes in more since you were previously convinced the matches were simply only to prolong the time when Ouji would kill your little friend. In a way, my son is showing mercy. He would have torn Kakarotto to pieces." 

"Demo!" Bulma said. She couldn't get over the shock. _So this must be why Vegita looked up to me like he did,_ she thought. _Damn him! I should have figured he would do something like this! I didn't want Son-kun to have to face Vegita, but I didn't want some other Saiyajin to kill him either! I'm sure there are plenty of Saiyajins who are capable of giving Son-kun a painful death like Vegita would have... Radditsu might even be one of them. He keeps attacking at Son-kun like he's trying to take his head off!_

Bulma began to feel helpless, as if all she could do was watch Gokuu die, but then the cheering from the audience began to get to her. Mostly it was about how weak Gokuu was and how easy it would be for Radditsu to kill him. The Saiyajins also made comments about Gokuu being basically the same as a Capsule person whom were as weak as ants. Bulma was still frightened for her friend's life, but she would be damned if she sat back and let the Saiyajins bad-mouth her people, especially her best knight. She rose from her seat, drawing the attention of the Saiyajin King, and cupped her hands around her mouth. 

"Come on, Son-kun!!" Bulma shouted, her voice carrying over most of the Saiyajins' voices not only because she was loud but because several of them silenced after hearing her voice pervade the jeering. "Show these Saiyajins how Capsule's best knight can fight!!" 

King Vegita grinned while Bulma continue to cheer on her friend. _I can see why Ouji is interested in this woman,_ he thought. _She's a very intriguing little woman..._   
  
*******   
  


Gokuu finally was able to cause a break in the fight between him and Radditsu. Radditsu had been charging mercilessly, giving Gokuu few chances to counterattack. That hadn't been exactly terrible since it gave Gokuu a chance to preview Radditsu's strength. He would admit it was better than Toma's, but he also would admit that he seemed to be too aggressive with his attacks and took little care to guard himself. Gokuu might have taken the opportunity to take advantage of when his guard was down, but it was better he had decided to wait. 

"Heh, don't think you're gonna do the same to me like you did to Toma," Radditsu said, noticing his brother catching his breath. "You look tired, Kakarotto." 

Gokuu hadn't taken Radditsu lightly ever since he had stepped onto the platform with him. He had seen the desire to kill in his dark eyes, and thus Gokuu hadn't smiled once since he had seen his brother. He wasn't sure whether or not he liked Radditsu, but Gokuu knew whatever reason Radditsu wanted him dead wouldn't be one he would like. 

"Why do you want me dead?" Gokuu asked. Unlike when he had been fighting Toma, Gokuu's sword was always positioned to strike or block at a second's notice. 

"What are you a total idiot?" Radditsu said. He slowly approached Gokuu, while Gokuu carefully backed away each step he took forward. "Nearly every Saiyajin here wants you dead!" 

Gokuu easily avoided Radditsu's sudden stab at him after his words and moved to the empty space behind Radditsu, holding himself in a guarded position again. "Iie, you're different from the others," he said. Radditsu faced him with slight annoyance at his miss and Gokuu's words. "The other Saiyajins hate me because I'm different and basically an alien Saiyajin. You...you hate me for something else." 

"Shut the hell up, Kakarotto," Radditsu said. He prepared to strike again. "I didn't make sure I was your next opponent so I could talk to you!" 

"Sou ka na (Is that right)?" Gokuu said, yet not with the usual friendliness he usually said that. His and Radditsu's blades met at Radditsu's following charge. _Jaa (Well then), I guess I'll have to make him talk,_ he thought. 

Radditsu was surprised when Gokuu's strength seemed to increase and his blade began to be forced in the opposite direction. Soon Radditsu arms were jerked back completely as if Gokuu's force was repelling his blade away. He barely had a second to be surprised or think about retaliating before Radditsu saw (and felt) Gokuu's elbow crashing into his face. The pain that caused was more surprising than how fast Gokuu had done it; from Radditsu's point of view, his brother looked weak (and pale in addition). He had heard something crack and he felt a little blood trickling from his nose as he tried to regain his balance from the hit. 

"Kisama (Bastard)!" Radditsu said, lowering the hand on his face to his chin. His enraged expression quickly faded when Gokuu's hand gripped the wrist of his other hand. Radditsu tried to move his hand so that his lowered sword would cut Gokuu, but his attempt was in vain. "You little--!" 

Radditsu used his free hand to punch Gokuu, but his little brother used flat of his sword to prevent such a strike. The older Saiyajin was less angry about not receiving contact and more furious about the fact Gokuu could have sliced off his hand or blocked with the edge of his sword. Seeing that his free hand was useless without his blade, Radditsu used his hand to help release the other instead. This too was a fruitless attempt which was only resulted in angry comments from the crowds. Gokuu, letting himself be distracted from the fight for a second, noticed that Bulma was cheering him on and smiled briefly. 

"You can do it, Son-kun!!" Gokuu heard her say within all the noise of the crowd. "I know you're a great fighter!!" 

Gokuu's short lack of concentration, nearly allowed Radditsu to get away with butting him in the head. At the last moment Gokuu pulled Radditsu back with him as his brother leaned forward to slam his skull into Gokuu's. That move put Gokuu back on his toes, but hadn't loosened his grip on his brother's wrist. Radditsu began growling at him to let go, but of course Gokuu was deaf to such requests. Instead, while Radditsu continued to try to pull away, Gokuu suddenly stopped standing still in resistance and jammed the hilt of his sword into Radditsu's stomach, still gripping his wrist tightly. Not meaning to knock Radditsu out Gokuu had held back, but his brother still coughed up quite a bit of spit from the strike. Gokuu finally released his brother when he sank to his knees and held his stomach with both hands. When Radditsu's blade was on the ground, Gokuu placed his foot over it, though Radditsu was too concerned with his abdominal pain to worry about his sword. 

Radditsu coughed several more times before he was able to even say disconnected words. "Little...bas...tard... You...you..." 

Gokuu pointed his blade at Radditsu's head, though even at his knees Radditsu was still quite tall. "I can end this fight any time I'd like," he said, "but I don't want to leave this square until I find out why you want me dead so badly." 

"Heh," Radditsu said, though it soundly more as though he were breathing too heavily. "This is exactly why I have to kill you, you arrogant little shit." 

"Nani?" Gokuu didn't care one bit how displeased the audience was that Gokuu was holding Radditsu in that position just to get some answers out of him. 

"Our stupid mother bragged from the moment you were conceived that you would be a great fighter," Radditsu spat. He was getting his breath back and his eyes locked on Gokuu's foot over his sword. "Like I said before, I never cared for that woman, and I always wanted to defeat her, but she died before I had the chance to." 

"Defeating me will give you a victory over her?" Gokuu asked. He was starting to understand Radditsu's reason for wanting him dead, though he didn't quite get why he disliked their mother so. 

"Sou (Right)!" Radditsu said. He suddenly stretched out his right leg and swept it across the floor, knocking Gokuu off his feet. 

"Shimatta (Crap)!" Gokuu said. He was able to get back on his feet just as Radditsu was standing with his sword in his hand again. Since Gokuu hadn't intended to start the fight up again, he wasn't pleased that his brother had surprised him like that. 

"That woman said you would definitely be stronger than her," Radditsu said, smirking. He started approaching Gokuu. "That doesn't seem to be true, but when I kill you, I'll be killing her!" 

_What kind of relationship did these two have?_ Gokuu wondered as he continued to block Radditsu's next set of subsequent attacks. He was forced to jump back at one point, Radditsu's blade close to cutting his chest, but his movement had nearly been too late. Radditsu just missed cutting his skin and had made a short slash in his shirt. _Kuso (Shit)! I'm getting careless!_

Gokuu jumped back a couple more times just to distance himself from Radditsu. His bulky brother was more dangerous when he was in closer range. "I don't understand why you wanted our mother dead, but you're not going to kill me, Radditsu," Gokuu promised. "No matter how badly you want me dead, I won't let you do it." 

"Heh, we'll see about that, Kakarotto!" Radditsu said, starting to remove their distance again.   
  
*******   
  


"Will Radditsu be able to do it?" Nappa said. He watched Radditsu deliver attack after attack, but never breaking through Gokuu's defense. "Kakarotto still hasn't even counterattacked." 

"Kakarotto seems like the type that needs to be angered to give a serious fight," Vegita said. He noticed that while Gokuu had been smiling less when Radditsu was his opponent, the Saiyajin had barely changed his method of combat. "I thought maybe Radditsu would be able to get a rise out of the fool, but it seems as though Kakarotto is much more level-headed than I thought." 

Nappa turned away from the fight a moment to look in Bulma's direction, still hearing her shouts for Gokuu's victory. "That woman doesn't seem to think there's any reason to worry," he said. 

Vegita smirked. "I guess I didn't give her enough credit," he said, though more to himself. "I thought she would have given up all hope, but it seems as though she won't give up until Kakarotto takes his last breath." 

"Vegita-sama," Nappa said, moving his eyes on his prince, "have you reconsidered killing the woman?" He grinned when Vegita frowned for a second, but then the Saiyajin no Ouji was back to smirking again. 

"I doubt she'll want to live about watching her little knight killed right before her eyes," Vegita said, though not truly answering the question. 

Nappa nodded, though he was aware of King Vegita's intention. "Either way, the outcome will be the same," he muttered, low enough that enough Vegita's ears couldn't pick it up.   
  
*******   
  


"Stop holding back, Kakarotto!" Radditsu said. He was getting tired of every movement of his sword being matched with Gokuu's. "What's wrong--you feeling sympathy for me just because I'm your brother??" 

"Iie," Gokuu said. His frown faded into a smile which didn't pacify Radditsu any. "You'd like me to fight you seriously, wouldn't you? I won't give you the satisfaction of a real fight while you have the intention of defeating a dead woman. I think that's the silliest thing I've ever heard." 

Radditsu growled through his clenched teeth. "I can't believe a damn Saiyajin from that weak little country has the nerve to be so arrogant!" he said. Radditsu lowered his sword a moment and smirked at his little brother. "Don't get so cocky yet. I know that you've been holding back, but you didn't realize that I was too!" 

"Nani?" Gokuu's brows lowered as if he wasn't sure if that were true or not. _Is he bluffing to get me off guard?_ he wondered. _If he really wanted me dead, he wouldn't be holding back..._

"I didn't want to fight at my best because I didn't think you were worthy, even as much I wanted you dead," Radditsu said. He raised his sword again and took one step back as if he would soon speed forward. "I changed my mind since you continue to prance around here like you're an Elite or something--I'll show you that you're no better than any of us other third-class soldiers!" 

Gokuu hadn't only thought that Radditsu could move at a limited speed because of the way he had previously moved, but also because of how large his brother was. Apparently looks were deceiving because the next thing Gokuu knew, his brother was behind him. The shock of his bluff being true caused Gokuu to be delayed in reaction, and thus the Capsule knight once again became close to being cut when he turned and jumped back. Radditsu's blade swiping at his head managed to clip a few ends of his hair. No sooner had Gokuu jumped back the first time was he forced to retreat further; Radditsu's blade was already coming down on with the intent to chop Gokuu in half. Gokuu, not as surprised as the first attack, avoided this much easier. 

"So there was some truth to your words," Gokuu said, having the opportunity to talk since Radditsu's last attack had sunk his blade into the white floor. He stood, planning to wait for his brother to get his weapon free. "Still, it's not going to change the outcome of this fight." 

"Heh," Radditsu said as he yanked his sword out of the floor. He planted his feet firmly apart. "If you're still so cocky, then come at me then!" 

Gokuu snorted, thinking that taking up Radditsu's offer was best. He supposed their fight had dragged on long enough, and Gokuu wasn't going to be able to get any more answers from his brother. The fact that Radditsu had been holding back didn't really concern Gokuu and didn't make Gokuu encouraged to fight him seriously. He still intended to finish the fight using as little energy as needed. When Gokuu began to charge at Radditsu, though not as fast as he had when he had went to break Toma's sword, he anticipated Radditsu to meet his blade once again. However, Gokuu was going to put more power behind his blade and cause Radditsu's blade to fly out of his hand when their two swords met. Yes, this had been his intent, but the last thing Gokuu expected Radditsu to do, since the older Saiyajin seemed ready to meet his attack with a block, was to suddenly slide to his right just before Gokuu made contact. Gokuu began to fall forward, unprepared for such a maneuver. 

_Shimatta… I didn't think he could have avoided that…_ Gokuu thought, thinking he shouldn't have been as slow. Gokuu's eyes widened as he realized that Radditsu was going to try to slash him from behind probably at the same moment he fell to the ground. He cursed, released his left hand from his sword, used his free hand to keep him balanced as he made a swift crouched turn, and stopped Radditsu's blade inches from slicing his face in half with his sword only gripped in his right hand. His quick movements had saved him for the moment, but Gokuu soon found that he needed the strength of both his hands to keep Radditsu's blade from advancing. Gokuu was leaning back on his other hand for support, so using both hands wasn't a safe option. If he attempted to do so and let himself fall back, Radditsu could succeed in forcing his own blade into Gokuu's neck before his hand could reach his sword. Radditsu grinned down at him, obviously aware of his struggle and his lack of options to improve his situation. 

"Ha! Doesn't look like you can hold me back forever, Kakarotto!" Radditsu said. He added even more pressure to Gokuu's block, causing Gokuu's hand to shake terribly as he tried to prevent Radditsu's blade from getting any closer. 

_What's wrong with me--I shouldn't have this much trouble with him…_ Gokuu wondered, figuring that in about two minutes he would get cut. He blinked as he heard his stomach growled, noticing that he was hungry. _Sou ka (I see)! I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon. I'm surprised I was even able to beat Toma on an empty stomach._

Gokuu cracked a smile, feeling a little stupid that his excitement had made him forget to eat, though he hadn't been given an opportunity when he was woken up. "It would be a shame to lose at this point…" he noted. 

"Hey, Kakarotto, I'll tell you something to make your death easier for ya," Radditsu said, eagerly waiting for Gokuu to end his resistance. The audience was just as eager, shouting for Gokuu to just end it all. 

Gokuu raised a brow. "Nani?" 

"After you're dead, I'll do you a favor and look over that mate of yours," Radditsu said. "I have to admit, she's not that bad looking for a non-Saiyajin woman." 

"What did you say??" Gokuu's voice and well as his face was without amusement, though Radditsu had been laughing ever since he had finished his words. "O…no…re (Why…you)!" 

Radditsu laughter was cut short when he noticed that he was no longer pushing Gokuu's blade forward, rather his own sword was being forced back upon him. Not matter how much of his strength he put into it, he couldn't stop his sword's retreat from Gokuu's face. Radditsu didn't know what was more frustrating: the fact his own victory didn't seem sealed or the fact Gokuu was pushing him back with a single hand while Radditsu couldn't stop him with both hands. Radditsu soon wasn't just frustrated but also shocked when Gokuu pushed himself up into a standing position, the movement knocking Radditsu backwards as if Gokuu had shoved him. Radditsu landed hard on his back, sliding against the white surface before he came to a stop. He cursed as he lifted his head, intending to sit up, but before Radditsu could get the chance, he felt Gokuu's foot slam into his stomach. The pain this caused was much greater than when Gokuu had jammed his hilt into his stomach; after coughing several times, Radditsu was sure that some blood had same up. To make matters worse Gokuu chose to stand where he had stomped on Radditsu, and his other foot was crushing his hand that held his sword. Radditsu weakly grasped Gokuu's ankle, though he didn't have the energy to remove his little brother's foot from his abdomen. Instead, he chose to glare up at Gokuu who was glaring at him with a much greater intensity that made a bead of sweat travel down the side of Radditsu's head. 

_When he's pissed off, he and Bardaku look way too much alike,_ Radditsu thought while he tried to get his breath back. 

"The last person I would entrust my wife to is you!" Gokuu said, his voice with a deadly edge. He slowly stepped off Radditsu, his expression set as if he were going to plunge his sword into Radditsu where his foot had previously been. "Even if I'm killed by Vegita or some other Saiyajin in this tournament, I'll rise from the grave to kill you if you even think about going near my wife!" 

"Don't…think you've…wo…won yet, Kaka--" Radditsu stopped when he felt Gokuu grip his ankle. "The…hell??" 

Radditsu still didn't have his wind completely back to yell when his brother lifted him off the floor, swung him around a few times, and then threw him off the platform into a wall. It happened so quickly that Radditsu couldn't actually believe it occurred, especially when he didn't believe Gokuu had nearly enough strength to pick up someone as large as himself. When Radditsu felt himself crash into the wall, he had enough stamina to curse him before he completely passed out. Gokuu was breathing heavily after he had finished off his brother, his fatigue from his hunger already dissolving his sudden strength from his anger. The crowd was more shocked this time and a few Saiyajins were booing him as he stepped off the white area. It was given that he had won his second match, so Gokuu didn't wait for the announcer to proclaim his victory. Bulma's cheering was much more audible with the silent awe from about half of the audience, and Gokuu couldn't help but smile again. However, his stomach growled and thus Gokuu went on a search for food. 

"I've gotta eat something!" Gokuu said, rubbing his stomach as went on a search for sustenance. He would search every room in the arena he could before his next match.   
  
*******   
  


Nappa had expected his Prince to show some kind of displease or shock at Gokuu's victory, but the Saiyajin no Ouji simply grinned and eventually was laughing. The audience, now that Gokuu had gone and their initial awe was gone, were shouting profusely about their indignation of Gokuu's triumph. Radditsu was being carefully removed from the wall and was later pronounced to still be alive. Nappa snorted at the news, thinking that Radditsu probably would have been preferred to be killed than to be alive and face the embarrassment of losing to the "Lost Saiyajin." Vegita finally ended his chuckling and looked at his quizzical commander. 

"This is exactly what I wanted to see," Vegita said, folding his hands together. "You saw it, didn't you? Had Radditsu not angered Kakarotto in some way, he might have won the match." 

"What are you saying, Vegita-sama?" Nappa asked. He frowned, thinking that such a thing shouldn't entertain Vegita so much. "You can't be suggesting that angering Kakarotto is surefire way to lose against him." 

"Hardly," Vegita said. He closed his eyes, still grinning, knowing that it would be a while until Gokuu's next match came up. "I'm simply saying that if you want that fool Kakarotto to fight seriously, you'll have to make him angry. However, for the average Saiyajin, it's not that easy because Kakarotto is too stupid to get offended by insults or other things we Saiyajins might get angry about. That's why I find it so amusing that Radditsu managed to make that idiot irritated. Before Kakarotto dies in one of his next matches, I hope I can see him frustrated again." 

Nappa didn't quite understand Vegita's desire to see Gokuu lose his cool, having heard little of the recent interactions between the Prince and Gokuu. Had Nappa known that Gokuu had been Vegita's greatest bane the moment he entered their country, he might have noticed that Vegita was being vindictive. However, Nappa did begin to share Vegita's grin when he thought of the small possibility he could get to fight Kakarotto himself. Though he didn't think it was likely the two of them would fight, Nappa couldn't help but image taking pleasure as he slashed Kakarotto into pieces for all of the Saiyajins to witness.   
  
*******   
  


"Kakarotto has done better than I expected," King Vegita commented. Bulma was taking her seat again, beaming as if she had personally achieved something. "He's managed to get to the finals in the third-ranked matches. If he wins his next match, he'll be able to fight with the higher-ranked soldiers." 

"I know Son-kun will continue to win," Bulma said, though she only felt so confident because Gokuu had been winning easily ever since he defeated his brother. "He hasn't even gotten a scratch on him." 

The Saiyajin King snorted. "I wonder about that." 

"Why is that?" When Bulma saw him grin instead of giving a straight answer, she had a good feeling that this was one of Vegita-Ou's traits that Vegita didn't like. Vegita was the type that liked to be answered the moment he produced a question, so Bulma's assumption wasn't far off. Bulma couldn't blame him either because she was getting a bit sick of his roundabout manner. It was just as irritating to think that he knew something she didn't and wouldn't say anything as though he were belittling because she hadn't figured it out already. 

"Haven't you seen who is next opponent is going to be?" King Vegita said. He only grinned further when Bulma frowned to suggest she hadn't noticed. "Well, you'll know soon enough." 

"It doesn't matter who it is, or how much they want to kill Son-kun," Bulma said. "Son-kun's obviously just as strong as any other third-ranked soldier." 

King Vegita shrugged. "Maybe the little fool is," he agreed. "However, I don't think Kakarotto will be able to escape the next match without a scratch… That is, if he isn't killed." 

"Well, Your Majesty, I don't mind saying that I believe you are going to be surprised to see that 'Kakarotto' has beaten another 'real' Saiyajin once again," Bulma said, barely concealing her impudence. 

"Heh," King Vegita said, regarding her as if she were a new species of animals he had just discovered. "I can see why Ouji has lost his temper with you a few times; you have quite a mouth on you." 

"A few times?" Bulma muttered, glancing at the Prince they spoke of. At the time the Saiyajin no Ouji was speaking to his commander whom stood at his side. 

"You may not believe this since my son threw you against a wall in a fit of rage," King Vegita said, shocking Bulma enough to return her attention to him, "but you have obviously charmed him. He has done far worse to others that have only irritated him slightly. And certainly he has never _healed_ anyone before. Hopefully, that will be the only time he will be willingly so merciful, especially when he takes the throne." 

Bulma didn't even take the time to consider Vegita-Ou's words concerning Vegita's affections for her. She was still surprised the King knew so much about what had happened between her and Vegita. As far as she knew, even Pikaru and Sukuwa didn't know what had truly happened to her. That made her wonder about all the other things King Vegita could possibly know that she nor Vegita were aware of. 

"How do you know all these things?" Bulma finally asked. 

"I make it one of my top priorities to know what the future Saiyajin King is up to," King Vegita said. He grinned and made himself more comfortable in his chair. "I believe that he is physically strong enough to take the role, but recently I have been doubting his mentality. We Vegita are not the type that care about anything other than ourselves and the Saiyajin Kingdom." 

_I wonder…_ Bulma thought, looking at Vegita again. _If Vegita had been raised somewhere else, would he still be such a nasty person…_

"A Saiyajin King that cares about anything else will not only lose the respect of all the Saiyajins, but also allow opportunities for our enemies to strike," King Vegita went on. He snorted. "That is why I want to see what Ouji will do once this tournament is over." 

"If you know so much about what he's been up to, then that shouldn't be a mystery," Bulma said. "He's determined to kill me once this tournament is over." She raised a brow when King Vegita began to laugh, and she frowned in his direction. "I know that you Saiyajins think of death as a joke, but--" 

"Iie, it's not that," Vegita-Ou said. He took a few moments to get over his amusement. "My son hasn't killed you yet because he is confused about whether or not he cares for you. His uncertainty is obvious by the way he has become more determined to kill Kakarotto. At the beginning I believed that my son wanted to kill him so that he could demonstrate his power; now I believe that his main purpose in killing Kakarotto is completely related to you." 

"Yes, he wants to make me suffer." 

"More likely is that he thinks Kakarotto is a threat to you and so he feels like he needs to get rid of him." 

Bulma's frown deepened. "What, are you saying that he's trying to protect me?" she said. "The only reason he doesn't want anyone or anything else to hurt me is so that he can have the pleasure all to himself." 

King Vegita smirked. "Well, I suppose we will just have to see how things play out," he said. "It is a shame that Ouji has chosen not to kill Kakarotto himself. If you could see the two of them fight, you would see Ouji's true intent." 

Bulma tried to concern herself more with Gokuu's upcoming match, but King Vegita's words made her wonder about Vegita. _He did seem worried that I had been poisoned after he met up with Son-kun yesterday,_ she thought. _Whatever Son-kun told him yesterday has made Vegita paranoid that Son-kun is trying to kill me… But it can't be possible that Vegita was really worried about me! Then again, last night he did say that he was concerned about someone other than himself, which could have meant me…_

Bulma shook her head, deeply perplexed about what was really going on in Vegita's head. She had wished King Vegita hadn't said anything that made her doubt her previous perception of the Saiyajin Prince, for now her mind was plagued with thoughts about Vegita. She desperately wanted to think about who Gokuu's next opponent would be and exactly how much of a chance he had of winning against the competitor. However, try as Bulma might, she couldn't wonder if Vegita's claim to kill her was just a denial of his true feelings. Worse than that, Bulma wasn't horrified by the possibility Vegita had affections for her. She had thought she would be repulsed by it, but she didn't know what to think about it now that Vegita-Ou had suggested it was true. Bulma forced her eyes on the arena, wishing that Gokuu would soon arrive and force her thoughts of Vegita away.   
  
*******   
  


Radditsu slowly began to focus on a white ceiling and became conscious of the pain spread all over his body. His back and head hurt the most, which reminded him quickly of how he came to be in so much pain. He realized he was lying on a bed and sat up, ignoring how much it hurt to do so. 

"Kakarotto--" 

"Kakarotto beat you, just as I had predicted he would," a familiar voice beside him said. 

Radditsu turned his attention to his left, noticing his father was standing beside his bed. "Bardaku!" he said. "How long have I been out??" 

"Long enough," Bardaku said. He no longer faced his son, his movements as if he were intending to leave momentarily. "Kakarotto has made it to the third-ranked finals." 

"No…No way!" Radditsu said. He cringed as his agitation caused his wounds to throb more violently. 

"Hmph, you not only made a fool out of yourself, but you lost the bet as well," Bardaku said. "Hopefully, your wounds won't slow you down when you take my assignment in Section 0093." 

"You made it to your third round?" Radditsu said, glaring at his father's back. 

"Of course," Bardaku said. He began walking away, having wasted enough time informing his son of Gokuu's progress. "After you lost to Kakarotto, I made it my business to make sure I took care of him." 

"Wa…Wait a moment, Bardaku!" Radditsu called after him. "Where the hell are you going??" 

"Like I said--to take care of Kakarotto." 

Radditsu stared in disbelief after his father had gone. "Bardaku can't be possibly…"   
  
*******   
  


Gokuu was once again starving. After his fight with Radditsu he had managed to coax two people from the medical staff (none of the staff was Saiyajin, of course) to give him part of the lunch they were planning to eat later. Though it wasn't very much, Gokuu had taken whatever he could get. The little bit of food had gotten through the majority of the fights, but his energy was depleting once again by the time he got to the finals. His stomach was growling furiously when he stood across from his opponent, grabbing half of his attention. That was bit frustrating as Gokuu was aware that he would need his full attention and possibly would need to fight at his best ability. He didn't have too much trouble moving around at a speed faster than most Saiyajins, but he certainly didn't have the strength to throw a Saiyajin into a wall again. Of course, Gokuu was aware that if he were angry enough, he could exceed his current limitations because of his hungry. However, Gokuu didn't think he would find himself too annoyed with his next opponent. This time Gokuu was sure that his hunger was going to cause him considerable problems. 

"Bardaku," Gokuu said. He had a feeling that the unfriendly expression on his father's face was exactly the one he was displaying. Gokuu didn't know what it was, but he always felt like scowling when he saw his father. He supposed it could be partly because Bardaku had refused at first to tell him anything about his mother. 

"Kakarotto, this was probably fated to happen the moment you disappeared," Bardaku said. Gokuu recognized his stance from his previous matches, alerting him to that fact that he wouldn't get a long conversation with his father, but Gokuu had expected as much. 

"Aa, I think so too," Gokuu said. Unlike the other fights he had been in, Gokuu readied himself. He had seen the way Bardaku fought, and the last thing Gokuu would call his fighting style was careless. "But I can't afford to lose. Who knows what may happen to Bulma if I do, my family's waiting for me at home, and of course, you promised to tell me about my mother if I lived through this tournament." 

"Hmph, even if you did beat me, the only way you could possibly live is if you defeated the Prince," Bardaku said. "I'll admit that you have done a decent job so far, but you have no chance of defeating Vegita-Ouji." 

Gokuu smirked. "Maybe not, but I'll just have to find out when the time comes," he said. 

"The only way you'll make it to your next round is over my dead body," Bardaku said. Gokuu didn't need to have known Bardaku for a long time; he knew just by the sound of his voice that his father was completely serious. 

Gokuu knew that he had been progressively slowing since his last three fights, yet he still decided that he would rely on his speed to defeat Bardaku. From what Gokuu had observed from his other fights, Bardaku wouldn't match him in speed, so Gokuu had hopes he had enough energy to effectively fight his father. Gokuu made the first strike, not only trying to see how much his hunger was affecting him at the moment, but also how powerful Bardaku was. Gokuu doubted that Bardaku would hold back, as Radditsu had done, and he soon saw that he was right. At the last moment, where Bardaku could have simply raised his sword to meet Gokuu's, Bardaku made a swift counterattack that nearly made Gokuu fall off his feet. He certainly was repelled back by Bardaku's move, his feet sliding against the floor before he managed to stop himself. Bardaku, on the other hand, had barely moved a inch from his starting point. Gokuu immediately went on the offense again, though he was a little disoriented from Bardaku's counterattack. Gokuu had a feeling if he idled too much in this match, he could easily end up losing a limb.   
  
  


--Hehe, I don't have a clue when I'll have the next chapter, though I have already started on it. I kinda feel like finishing it up, but it doesn't seem like I'm going to have the leisure to soon... Sorry five thousand times! Just don't think I never will end this fic cuz I will...in time... ^_^ 


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